JLA: Freedom And Security
by Kal1029
Summary: When Lex Luthor initiates a mysterious project inside LexCorp known as Cadmus, Superman and the Justice League soon find themselves thrown headfirst into a brutal war that rages from the from the heart of Metropolis to the beginning of time itself.
1. Prologue

"Freedom And Security" is a story that I have been meaning to finish for an extremely long time. I've always loved the ethical concepts of superheroes. It's such an interesting topic. The concept of a real life Superman, how the public and government would react to him. Not only that, but how our real world would interact with an army of superpowered beings living above us with a gigantic space station. How safe we would really feel. That stuff has always interested me, so I opted to do a fic on it.

Major heroes include Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hawkwoman Green Arrow and the Teen Titans.

Villains include Lex Luthor, Amanda Waller and Project Cadmus, The Joker, Black Manta, Maxwell Lord, Circe and Slade.

As far as what continuity this is taking off from, well, it's actually based inside of a Superman continuity that I created. At a certain point, I had a vision of what my ideal Superman continuity would be. It's been fleshed out over the years to the point where I have an entire notepad file for my Superman that covers nearly 70 years of fictional history. It takes place within Superman's mid-30s, where he has already revealed his secret to Lois Lane.

If you've read this entire intro, I thank and applaud you for your time and patience, and now proudly present "JLA: Freedom And Security".

* * *

**JLA: "Freedom And Security"**  
_**Prologue**_

There was something sickening about it, he thought. No matter how many times he thought about it, the whole situation got worse. In front of him, Clark Kent was a witness to a wave of applause and cheering directed towards Lex Luthor.

Clark was on duty. Reporter duty, that is. He was standing, as usual, next to Lois Lane. Even in this moment where he thought things couldn't get any more disturbing, Lois had a calming effect. The same effect she's had on him for the past ten years.

"And I promise you, if you put your faith in me, I will do my very best to grant this country the freedom and security it deserves.", Lex said, his voice bellowing throughout the hall, overshadowed only by the massive cheering and clapping.

Behind Lex was a publicity poster of himself, the American flag waving behind him. It was a hard pill for anybody to swallow, especially someone who knew Lex.

And boy, did Clark know Lex. Despite how amazing Lex was at keeping his real agenda hidden from public eye, Clark had seen Lex do terrible thing. Things that he never thought the man he once called his friend, one that he even considered as close as any brother, was capable of.

"When you consider where we currently put most of our trust and security, one has to wonder just where exactly our priorities are."

That line hit Clark hardest of all, coming out as an obvious slam towards the Justice League Of America. And they all knew it. Clark sighed, looking to Lois with a look of dismay. She gave him a wink and a quick kiss on the cheek.

That was all he needed. That and to give a glance to the wedding ring on her finger. It made him smile, as it reaffirmed that he had indeed captured the heart of the most amazing woman on the planet. Even in the worst of times, it gave him hope.

"And if indeed I am elected, my goal is to make sure that when we go to bed at night, when we tuck our children into their own beds, our thoughts of peace don't rely on men in capes.", Lex finished, locking his eyes on Clark as the applause grew louder.

Lex knew the truth. He knew who was really behind those glasses. But Clark was over it. Even if Lex knew Clark Kent and Superman were one and the same, Clark knew that Lex wasn't one to share such information freely. It was power, and Lex would keep it for himself...


	2. Paranoid, Thy Name Is Question

**JLA: Freedom And Security**

**Chapter 1:**

_**Paranoid, The Name Is Question**_

"Take it all in. Think about it for just a second."

The Question's methodical, and sometimes silly, line of thinking was driving him insane. How long was he gonna go on?

"Elvis sightings, phantom helicopters, Roswell, Majestic, OCB, the--

"OCB?", he asked curiously, although he was hesitant to hear the answer.

"Oklahoma City Bombings. Keep up, Queen.", Question replied with a frustrated tone.

And Oliver Queen was getting just as frustrated. As the Green Arrow stood on a rooftop, overlooking Star City, he began to wonder how he had gotten himself into this unenviable situation. Tagging alongside the Question, one has to wonder what crime they committed to be locked into his conversations.

"As I was saying, the introduction, then sudden departure of New Coke, boy bands, Shag Harbour, Shirley's Bay, you name it. All of them, even if by a microscopic, barely visible thread, are connected. Every single one goes back to a singular, devious source.", he finished, letting out an exhausted sigh.

"And what would that be?"

"That is what I've been trying to figure out."

"Paranoid, thy name is Question.", Ollie said with a grin.

"Go ahead. Joke. We'll see how funny it is when we're all in permanent lock down, our every move and action regulated. When our lives are under constant surveillance, our very existence under lock and key as the New World Order finally takes control. We'll see then, Queen."

"Yeah. We'll see then.", he replied, eyes rolling at the absurdity of it.

"You think this is my style? Hanging around waiting for petty thieves and thugs? It's not my preferred gig, I can tell you that."

"Why'd they team me up with you again?"

The Question sighed, pulling a notepad from his coat pocket. Ollie took a glance, seeing the multitude of ramblings and incoherent, at least in his eyes, drivel written all over it. Question added another scribble.

"Another mystery."

On the streets below, Ollie saw something beautiful; a mugging. Now, ordinarily, Ollie would not call such an act beautiful, but anything to get him away from Question's rambling was enough for him.

"Let's go!", Ollie shouted, grabbing an arrow from his quiver. Quicker than a cat, the Emerald Archer took aim and fired. The mugger had no time to react before he was nailed, knocked straight back and enveloped in a net. He slid across the sidewalk as the woman cowered in fear.

To Ollie's surprise, Question was already on the streets, helping the woman up. The woman gave an unsure smile to his blank, emotionless face, then ran off. Ollie approached with a smirk.

"Thought you said this wasn't your gig?", Ollie asked.

"It isn't. But this punk knows something."

"Oh, come on. Now even the lowest of low purse snatchers are in on it?"

"Everyone's in on it, whether they know it or not."

"Well, when you find some little green men, give me a call."

"First thing I'll do."

Question picked up the thug, getting right in his face.

"Oh, and by the way...", he said, causing Ollie to stop and turn around.

"I've never met one alien life form that was green."

Ollie sighed, then walked off. Question turned back to his prey, secretly enjoying the look of total fear over his face.

Above the Question, well past the Earth's atmosphere and hovering above our planet, was the Watchtower. It orbited around the planet, the low engine rumble a perfect companion to the cold silence of space, almost creating a musical harmony in how relaxing it was.

"And then I said, stand back, babe, the Fastest Man Alive is here to protect and kiss.", The Flash, otherwise known as Wally West, said with a cocky grin.

"Protect and kiss? You actually said that?"

Green Lantern listened to Flash's account with an open ear, but Kyle Rayner's lack of patience for bad pick up lines was starting to affect his enjoyment of it.

"I certainly hope you held her hair back when she threw up."

"No need, my friend. I'll have you know that Linda and I are going out this Saturday."

"That poor girl.", said the voice of Doctor Light from behind, causing Kyle, and even Wally, to grin.

"You know,", Wally said as he stood up from his chair. "I can understand the need to criticize me. Not everyone can do what I can. We can't all be me."

Kimiyo Hoshi's eyebrows perked, her grin growing larger. Wally took off, zipping directly behind her.

"We can't all be as charming, funny or cute as I am.", Wally said, that same cocky, yet lovable, grin shining.

"Oh, lord. Give me a break.", Kimiyo said before pushing herself away from Wally and walking off.

"It's obvious, isn't it?", Wally asked.

"What's that?"

"That she wants me."

Kyle grinned, standing up to follow Kimiyo.

"Oh, yeah. Way obvious. Blinded me."

The Atacama Desert. Lifeless. Zero inhabitants. The perfect place for Lex's newest completed project. Cadmus Headquarters was situated on a plateau, overlooking the rest of the barren wasteland. Radio chatter sputtered out through the menacing looking black helicopters coming towards Cadmus.

"This is Echo-Sigma Six. Do you copy?"

The pitch black helicopters roared over the desert land as troopers fast-roped down, piling in to the facility. The helicopter landed on the ground, more troops exiting, with Lex behind them.

"Alpha-Epsilon Nine here. Mr. Luthor has just arrived. Ready to move out."

The copters flew away as Lex made his way towards the building. He was greeted by General Wade Eiling. He was getting up there in terms of age, but still brute of a man.

"How's the weather treating you, General?", Lex asked.

"Like Hell."

Lex chuckled.

"I can imagine."

The doors behind them slammed shut with a metallic boom.

"Project DNA is well on it's way to completion. I'd say she'll be combat ready by next week."

"Good. I'd like to see her."

"Of course. Right this way."

Eiling's ID card swiped through the security system of a metal door. Project DNA was stamped across the front.

"She's quite the specimen.", Eiling said as Lex stepped forward, a smile on his face.

"She certainly is."

Lex walked towards a large chamber, his eyes lit up with devilish glee.

"What about strength levels?"

"Barring anything unusual, she should even be able to give Superman a run for his money."

"Let's hope so."

That voice diffused Lex's grin, but not by much. Amanda Waller stepped in, her cold demeanor freezing over the entire room.

"If she can't put a stop to them, we may as well pack it up and go home."

"Good thing I've got several."

Amanda's lips tried to form even a simple smile, but even the word smile wasn't in her vocabulary.

"I hope you'll be as funny if this doesn't work. We've spent a lot of money on this."

"Most of it mine, as I remember."

"True as that is, I don't want to look back on this with bad memories."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that. This will be something to remember fondly. Something that will live on for years. And we'll all have the pleasure of having been a part of it."

"You'd better be right, Lex."

"I'm tellin' ya, I don't know anything!"

All he could see was pavement. The thug was helpless in Batman's grip, hanging upside down over the building. The streets of Gotham City were going to get up close and personal with his face unless he started talking.

"I've got all night."

"Can you spare five minutes?", he said, floating down from the sky.

His red cape bellowed behind him, the signature S shield announcing his arrival. This was Superman. We've already seen him, but not like this. He landed right in front of Batman.

"Bad time?", he asked.

"Not really."

Batman hoisted him back up, delivering a swift shot to the head and knocking him out.

"What'd you need?"

Superman could only smile at Batman's carefree attitude, then continued on.

"I'm sure you've heard by now."

Superman showed Batman the newspaper; "Lex Luthor Leads In Poll".

"Not surprised. Lex's money reaches further than most people think."

"Don't I know it."

There was a moment of silence. Even through that silence, they were still communicating. For the ten years they'd known each other, it wasn't unusual for them to finish each other's thoughts, react to what the other was going to say even before he'd said it.

They had developed a friendship that was unlike any other. Even if one was a yellow sun absorbing alien and the other was a man who dressed up in a bat costume, they respected each other. Even in the silence, they were still communicating.

"It's driving you crazy, isn't it?", Batman asked, knowing the answer to the question before he even posed it.

"Every single day. There's not a single morning where I don't wake up and wonder what will happen if he wins. If he's given that much control over this country. I know what they say about us, but to give that much power to one man."

"Do we really have a right to complain?"

"What?"

"I know you think just acknowledging what the people say about the Watchtower and the League is enough, but it still doesn't give any of us the right to question what he'd do with that power."

He knew he was right. In a lot of ways, it killed him, but he knew Batman was right.

"I know it doesn't. But why would anyone think we'd ever try to hurt them?"

"It's the power of suggestion. All it took was one of Maxwell Lord's anti-Metahuman speeches and the flood gates flew open. The minute he trashed us, the quicker the public was to share the same opinion."

Superman took a glance at the thug at Batman's feet, out cold.

"Chasing anything interesting?", he asked, looking for anything to change the depressing subject.

"Something big is supposed to be going down with the Joker at Warehouse 15."

"Need any help?"

The thug began to stir, opening his eyes to a terrifying sight; Superman and Batman's eyes locked on him.

"Now, what were you saying?", Batman asked with a spine chilling tone.


	3. President Luthor

**JLA: Freedom And Security**

**Chapter 2:**

_**President Luthor**_

Her bed wasn't made, Shelby was barking and Pa Kent was pounding on her door. Can't a girl get a break? Kara was in a bad way at the moment. Even with every super power in the world, she still felt worthless.

"Kara? You sure you're all right?", Jonathan asked from behind the door.

She stood up from her vanity table, opening the door to Jonathan, her face telling the story.

"I guess that's a no.", he said, the warmth in his voice comforting her.

"It's just not fair."

Kara let out a large sigh, plopping down on her bed.

"What's not fair?"

"The way the people are treating the League. Like they're some kind of criminals. Even Clark."

Jonathan took a seat next to her.

"I know. But you can't let it get to you. You can't let a few people spoil everything. I've heard what they've said, but you know what?"

Kara looked at him, the only real father figure she's ever had or known, not totally buying the pep talk.

"What?"

"Forget 'em. I've seen what you do, what Clark does. Hell, what that entire League does. You guys are heroes. They may not always appreciate it, but I've never been more proud of you or Clark. And that's the truth."

Kara took his words in, forcing out a smile and a hug on Jonathan.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Jonathan gave her another hug, then stood up to leave.

"And Ma says if you're not down for breakfast in five minutes, she'll send Shelby up here."

"Yeah, yeah."

Kara gave a typical teenage eye roll. Jonathan smirked, then exited her room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"These people are only a couple steps from _Nineteen Eighty-Four."_

Smug. The only word appropriate to describe Maxwell Lord. Not that the shock jock radio DJ across from him was any less smug, but it oozed off of Lord.

"Now, Mr. Lord, would you honestly put Superman and the Justice League in the same light as Big Brother?", the DJ asked.

"Just call me Winston Smith."

In the Daily Planet, the interview was playing through the entire building. Clark was in disgust, sitting as his desk and trying as hard as he could to pretend it didn't phase him.

"The Justice League hovers above us with an orbiting death ray, stocked to the hilt with meta humans and aliens. All I'm asking is why we should trust these people. Some of them aren't even from this planet."

Clark couldn't stand it. He was desperately fighting the urge to not fly down to that radio station and give Lord a piece of his mind.

"Don't let him get to you.", Lois said from behind, her energy radiating and soothing Clark.

"I can't help it."

"I know."

Lois sat down next to him, gently stroking his face.

"But isn't getting all worked up about what Lord is saying proving his point? Just a little?", she asked.

She had a point. The second time in a matter of days that Clark knew he had been corrected.

"Which doesn't take away anything you've done. I don't know where we'd be without you. You've saved the world so many times."

"I didn't do it alone."

"No. But you just have to trust that what you guys are doing is the right thing."

Clark nodded, still obviously unsure.

"Believe me, the last thing this world has to worry about is meta humans."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Showed what Lois knew, as Jinx was more than willing to disagree. A blast of magic from Jinx's hands was more than enough to put the security guards down.

"Is this all? Pitiful.", she spat with disgust as tore her way through Amertek Labs .

Jinx worked her way through the maze of unconscious bodies in front of her, approaching a door marked "Project Intertia. Specimen Zero-One X".

"There you are. You're coming with me. Deathstroke's been wanting to meat you."

As Jinx charged up her magic, a single blast of energy was enough to knock her straight back down onto her back.

"He'll have to wait.", the voice of Cyborg said, the smoke pouring out from his arm-mounted cannon.

Jinx growled, rearing her arms up and unleashing a devastating swarm of energy.

"Back off, you outdated piece of junk!"

Cyborg took off, the boosters in his feat sending him soaring above Jinx. As he rained shots down towards her, Jinx turned around and let out a yell.

"Bring the heat! It's the Titans!"

From out of nowhere, the combined forces of Mammoth, Lady Vic, Cheshire and Double Dare emerge. A now successful blast of energy connected with Cyborg, sending him flying back.

Double Dare clung to Cyborg, Aliki holding his arms to the ground as Margot nailed him with stiff shots into his face.

"Hold him!", Mammoth commanded as he pounded at the door.

"I appreciate the offer, but I've already got a girl.", Cyborg managed to strain out as he sent out a shock wave that sent Double Dare flying back and colliding with Cheshire and Lady Vic.

He turned, blasting Mammoth away from the now damaged door. Satisfied, he turned his attention to Jinx, only to get knocked for a loop again by Jinx's energy blasts.

Jinx sent a charge into Cyborg, electrocuting his entire body. He screamed in pain until an unknown force came over her body, hurling her away and into the opposite wall.

From the ground, a terrifying black entity formed up, stretching it's wings out like a gigantic raven. And fitting as it was, Raven herself emerged from the black bird-like beast.

Raven took control of two lab tables, crashing them into the oncoming Double Dare. Gunshots rang out as Lady Vic cart wheeled across the room, firing with her dual pistols. Raven soared into the air, teleporting behind her. Vic turned, elbowing her opponent in the face and knocking her to the ground.

On the other side of the room, Jinx took advantage of the chaos and ran up to the elusive door.

"We're wasting time! Cheshire, Double Dare, cover me! Mammoth, take out Cyborg!"

She was a regular drill Sargent, giving out orders left and right while keeping her cool the entire time. Mammoth turned his attention to Cyborg, letting out a war cry and charging him.

"Bring it on, big boy!", Cyborg yelled as he collided with him in mid-air.

The collision took them through the air and crashing through the wall, tearing it down and spilling out into the other rooms of the lab. Jinx used her magic on the door, pulling it off at it's hinges.

"Wonder Twin powers activate!"

"Uh...

"Form of water!"

Oh..."

"Shape of a Stegosaurus!"

...was the only thing she could think as a huge downpour of water came gushing in to take Jinx, Cheshire and Double Dare on a ride that would put Splash Mountain to shame. As if that wasn't enough, the burly Stegosaurus came barreling in and sent Lady Vic on the fastest run of her life.

Mammoth sent Cyborg flying, hurling him through the wall and sending him outside of the lab. Mammoth wasn't letting up, charging at Cyborg again. He lifted into the air with his rocket boosters, firing blasts at Mammoth.

The wild ride finally came to and end. His adversaries soundly taken down, the water returned to it's Exxorian form of Zan.

"I'd say you guys are all wet, but I think that's obvious.", he quipped with a grin.

Raven finally awoke, rising to the air and seeing the carnage.

"Well, this bites."

Lady Vic was running for her life, the Stegosaurus crashing down everything around her in pursuit. Realizing her opportunity, Lady Vic took a leap, turning back and unleashing two razor-sharp daggers that stuck directly into the beasts shoulders.

It let out a yell, falling on it's side and sliding across the floor. It formed back down into the female Exxorian known as Jayna. She tugged slightly at the daggers, writhing at the pain. Vic approached her with a look of devious anticipation, pulling a pistol from her belt. She spoke in an intoxicating English accent.

"Poor little darling.", she said softly before delivering a hard kick to her head. Jayna fell to the ground, out cold.

"Allow me to put you out of your misery."

Vic pointed the gun directly at Jayna's head, prepared to end her life until a Bird-shaped Batarang snaps the gun out of her hands. She clutched it in pain, looking up to see the shadow of a sight that would bring anyone to total fear.

Nightwing.

He was coming down faster than she could even comprehend, his blue and black costume silhouetting against the night sky like a demon. A single shot to the jaw sent Vic to the ground.

"Lights out, Vic."

He ran to Jayna, helping her up.

"What are you doing here?", she strained the question through the pain as she ripped the blades out.

"Nothing wrong with some late night butt-kicking, right?"

She smirked as she examined Vic's weapons.

"Magic tipped.", she said with a disappointed look. "No wonder she took me down."

"Figures. Let's go."

Nightwing started to run off, but Jayna stopped him.

"Wait. I really wanna know. What are you doing here?", she asked insistently.

"Helping where I'm needed.", he said with obviously fake determination before taking off. Jayna knew it, too.

Raven flew up just in time to avoid Mammoth's right hand, waving her hand and knocking him away. Like a typical bulldozer, he wouldn't go down easy and returned to his feet. Mammoth raised both hands, slamming them together to create a massive wave of energy that took both Cyborg and Raven out of their flight.

Hitting the ground in stereo, Raven and Cyborg had no time to react upon getting to their feet before being plowed into by Mammoth. With a head full of steam, Mammoth came face to face with Nightwing. His face, if possible, became even angrier as he ran towards him.

As agile as he ever was, Nightwing flipped up over Mammoth and gave him a kick to the back of the head. He stumbled forward and crashed into the ground.

"You're gonna pay for that, bird boy!", Mammoth said as he stood up.

"Don't you ever get tired of this, Mammoth?", Nightwing asked cockily.

Mammoth charged in again, swinging a monstrous right hand at Nightwing. He ducked underneath, landing a stiff shot into his gut, then spinning around an laying his heel right into the back of his head. Mammoth fell, the ground trembling under his weight.

A few hours later, with their foes wrangled up, Cyborg, Raven and the Wonder Twins stood outside the now wrecked facility. The lab security guards were being treated to as Dr. Thawne spoke to them.

"What were they after?", Cyborg asked.

"From what my men have been telling me, their target was the Intertia Project.", Thawne informed them.

"Intertia Project?"

"Yes. A study on the effects of speed and the human body.", he explained. "Why they would be interested in that is beyond me."

The Titans shared some looks, even if they were suspicious.

"Well, you'd better think of hiring some better security.", Zan insisted.

"Indeed. Thank you, Titans."

Thawne gave a nod to his rescuers, then turned to leave. Jayna took note of Nightwing preparing to leave, informing her teammates with a nudge.

"Well, if this ain't a surprise.", Cyborg said a bit arrogantly as they all approached him.

"Is that the thanks I get for saving you guys again?"

"Saving us?", Zan asked with a growl. "We were doing just fine."

"And what are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be in Bludhaven?", Raven asked.

"Helping where I'm needed. Which is obviously a lot of places.", he replied with a look straight at Zan.

Zan started to snap back, but Jayna held him. The silence between all of them was deafening. How could it get this way? What could have taken such respect and friendship between teammates and tore it down to nothing?

"Where's Conner?", Nightwing asked.

And there it was. Perhaps not the only answer, but a good part of it.

"Metropolis.", Jayna informed him. "What about Star?", the question of a missing partner thrown right back at him.

"Bludhaven.", he replied sternly.

There was that silence again. It seemed like an eternity was going to go by until Nightwing broke it.

"I'll catch you guys later.", he said, not even looking at them as he walked off.

"Later.", the rest of them, except for Jayna, said without compassion. Cyborg, Raven and Zan turned to leave, but she was obviously not ready.

"I'll meet you guys at the Tower.", she told Zan.

"I won't hold it against you if you sock him one.", he said with a grin. She chuckled, then went after Nightwing.

"So, what's the real reason you're here?", she asked as she walked next to him.

"I already told you."

"No. You told me what I expected to hear, a cover story. Something that hides what you're really saying. It's the typical way of all your types."

"My types?"

"You know the ones. Tough. No emotion. Unwilling to say how they really feel."

"Is that what you think?"

"That's what I know."

Nightwing had just about enough of that silence he could stand. He knew it was there again, and it was starting to annoy him at how often it showed up.

"And what is it I'm unwilling to say?", he asked. "Enlighten me."

"Well, I think you're just like Bruce."

That hurt. Comparing him to that man? A low blow.

"What?"

"It's true. Just because of one little disagreement with Conner, you were willing to leave this entire team behind. And over what? Was it really worth it?"

"There was more to it than that."

"Oh, come on, Dick. Grow up.", she said, her voice raising in pitch to his surprise. "You know that's what it was. That's all it ever was. It was never about competition for Star, like you tried to pretend it was. It was always between you and him. Nothing else."

"Fine. I'll admit it wasn't about Star. But I left because I could see where things are going."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just ask Maxwell Lord."

If she could deliver a stinging personal blow, why couldn't he? And boy, did that one sting.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I gotta go.", he said, realizing the mistake of bringing it up.

"No. You don't lay that on me and then leave. What are you talking about?"

Nightwing struggled to find the right words, the ones that wouldn't cause as much pain.

"Are you saying you agree with all this stuff? The meta bashing?", she asked, but he wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Dick." She got in close, looking straight at him.

"Is that why you left?"

"It wasn't all at once. It was building. I was just looking for an excuse."

"And Conner was it?"

He nodded.

"It wasn't ever personal. I never hated him."

"Just his kind?", she asked with a bit more of that feminine snap.

"No. It was never about Conner. I admit that. It was never about what planet he was from."

"Do you really agree with Lord?"

"Not to his extremes. But in certain ways, I do."

Jayna nodded, regretfully lumping him in the category of "hater". It killed her that she had to, but it was her only option.

"Right. Well, I gotta get back to the Tower.", she said as her voice cracked, the onset of tears evident.

"Jayna,", Nightwing pleaded, but she was already gone. She was there physically, but he knew she wasn't going to listen.

"See you around, Dick. Take care of yourself."

And that was it. She left. He watched her go, the pain of realizing he had hurt someone else more than enough to send a tear down his cheek.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's all coming down to this, ladies and gentleman."

The billions of people around the world watched. Men, women, children. Even superheroes.

The election coverage was continuing into the campaign of Lex Luthor. Families that were oblivious to Lex's true goals sat in their homes, only the glow of the television illuminating them.

"Gardner Mullet has put up an impressive fight against the might of Mr. Luthor, but any one man who hopes to be a credible threat to his stature is delusional."

Lord was at it again, the building up of Luthor and tearing down of the Justice League. Aboard the Watchtower, the entire team watched in a single room. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman sat at the front of the line. The Metropolis News Network broadcast was well underway.

"Now, Mr. Lord, I know that Mr. Luthor has expressed his interests for this country before, but what are his exact goals?", the reporter asked through his live feed.

"He just wants to make the world safer."

"Isn't that what Superman and the Justice League are for?"

"I believe you're well aware of my stance on that."

The reporter chuckled, gladly playing along with Lord's game.

"Of course. I understand the final tally is coming in now. Let's go to Gail."

Superman stood up, unable to take it anymore. He paced back and forth, glancing back at the television only when he could stomach it.

"Thanks, Tom. Well, it's all over. Ladies and gentleman, we have a new President Of The United States."

It was enough to sink ones heart to the lowest possible point. A picture of Lex plastered across the screen, "Luthor Wins!" stamped at the bottom. The room was empty of emotion, ripped out by the very announcement they just witnessed.

"We're going live now to the campaign headquarters."

Streamers and wine were popping all around. Lex marveled in his success, flashing his insidious smile right into the camera.

"What can I say? I'd like to pretend I was humble, but I think we've all known me long enough to know that's not true."

The reporters chuckled at his joke, slipping right into his hands. They were all flocking to him.

"What's your first order of business?", a reporter asked, causing Lex to grin.

"To make sure the world is safe. No matter who I have to go through to get it."


	4. Proposals, Fists And Conspiracies Oh My!

I'll probably get a bit of flack for this chapter, regarding things that happen to certain characters and what not. And I know that we have yet another chapter that is basically build up, but starting with chapter four, we're really gonna get into some good stuff with Cadmus, Power Girl, the League and the Justice Society, the Titans and Nightwing and even a flashback for good measure. Enjoy, though, guys.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**JLA: Freedom And Security**

**Chapter 3:**

**Proposals, Fists And Conspiracies, Oh My!**

It was beautiful, there was no doubt about it. The engagement ring sitting in the ring box in front of her was gorgeous, sparkling in the light.

"So?", Dick Grayson asked, the sound of a thunderstorm raging across Bludhaven outside of his apartment. Starfire was in a state of shock, fear and anxiety, though not in that particular order.

"I don't know what to say.", she replied with hesitation. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I've never been more sure about anything. I've been wandering, Star. Moving from girl to girl, love to love. But I've never been in a situation where I felt I could do this. Until now."

"It's just sudden, is all."

"I know it is. I just want you to think about it.", he insisted.

Her reaction was about as expected, one of complete shock. It was enough for him, though. At least she didn't say no.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cliched as it was, the Joker chose to meet at an abandoned warehouse. The storm continued even into Gotham as Batman and Superman stood atop the roof across from the warehouse.

"Any ideas what this is about?", Superman inquired.

"None.", Batman replied, straight and to the point as he looked through his binoculars.

Superman tried to say something, anything to take his mind off of what was happening, but couldn't think of a single thing. Thankfully, the sight of an unmarked van pulling into the warehouse did it for him.

"That's him.", Batman said as Superman didn't even wait for him, flying up and soaring down to the streets below. Batman followed suit by swinging down to street level with his grappling hook. The van came to a stop as Superman peered in, watching the doors swing open and reveal...

Deadshot?

This wasn't the Joker. Not even in the same ballpark. Deadshot walked through the warehouse, entering the inner workings of the building. Batman and Superman ran in, investigating Deadshot's van. Superman looked to Batman.

"Don't tell me you got conned?", he asked with a small grin.

"Oh, no. The Bat didn't get conned.", a voice boomed out from above. "In fact, he was right on the money."

The hysterical laughter of the Joker echoed throughout as he swung down from the rafters on a harness. He landed directly in front of Superman and Batman, ripping it off and smiling at them with that same twisted smile they've both known for too long.

"Too flashy?", he asked, then chuckled as he shrugged his own question away.

"Doesn't matter. I'd like to give both of you a formal introduction to the Injustice Gang."

"Injustice Gang?", Superman asked.

"Not my choice of name, but one can't be a glory hog.", the Joker replied with a giggle. He turned, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Move it!"

Deadshot stepped out first, followed by Cheetah, Circe, Giganta and The Parasite. They stood united, standing against their outnumbered enemies.

"Well? What do you think?", the Joker asked them with an arrogant smirk on his face.

To his surprise, Batman was already on the move, laying a solid right hand into his face and knocking him to the ground.

"That's what I think."

"Works for me.", Superman said as he took off after the rest of the Injustice Gang.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lex stood in the Oval Office, staring out the window. It all belonged to him. It was all his. A secretary entered his office.

"Sir, Mr. Lord is here."

"Thank you, Erica."

Lord entered with a wide smile on his face. He sat down across from Lex, who could only smirk at his abrasiveness.

"Please. Make yourself at home.", he said.

"Thank you.", Lord replied, ignoring, or missing, it was hard to tell, the sarcasm in his voice.

"What can I do for you?"

"The Injustice Gang has made contact with the Justice League."

"Really?", Lex's eyebrows perked at this.

"Well, not the entire Justice League. But they have Superman and Batman cornered at Warehouse 15."

Lex's optimism slowly drained away.

"And the rest of them?"

"Well, I mean, that's all they have for now. They'll get the rest of them after they've dealt with those two."

"The plan was to get all of them in one place and overpower them, then use Project DNA to eliminate whatever was left."

"I know, sir. But it was hard enough getting those two in the same place."

Lex sighed in frustration.

"Fine. Just get it done."

Lord nodded, then stood up to leave.

"And the Joker wanted me to clear up his payment."

"Yes. I know. The thirty million we agreed on."

"There was something else he wanted added on."

Lex snapped up out of his chair, seething with anger.

"What!?", he shouted. "That clown wants something else? I already said I'd give him thirty million! What else could he possibly want?"

"A dollhouse."

"A dollhouse?", Lex asked with a bit of an accusing laugh.

"Here."

Lord held up a Okamura Toys catalog, flipping through until he reaches his destination.

"The Pretty Miss Cupcake dollhouse. Thirty-nine, ninety-five. Plus tax."

Lex snatched it from his hands, looking it over. Disgusted, Lex sighed and threw the paper down.

"A dollhouse?"

He had to ask again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Parasite was thrown back by a vicious shot from Superman, crashing through crates and packing boxes. Superman was right on him again, laying another shot into him.

Deadshot took a running leap, somersaulting behind a fork lift as he threw a grenade at Batman. Avoiding the explosion, Batman hurled his own weapon, a batarang, at his opponent. Unleashing a fully loaded Uzi submachine gun, Deadshot sprayed the bullets across the room at Batman.

As the Joker, Circe and Cheetah stood back to watch, Giganta was also in hot pursuit of the Batman. Now up to twenty feet tall, she gave chase to Batman as he dodged Deadshot's storm of bullets. Superman took to the air after Giganta, winding up his fists and preparing to knock her for a loop. Then he stopped, coming to his senses.

"You wouldn't hit a woman, would you, Supey?", she asked seductively.

"No. I wouldn't."

Superman inhaled, charging up his superbreath. Giganta knew what was coming next as Superman gave her a quick wink, then exhaled, blowing Giganta back. She stumbled, sending Joker and Cheetah running.

"Oh, please.", Circe said arrogantly as she held her hands up, creating a magical barrier for Giganta to land on.

Batman took another leap from behind his cover, hurling an explosive batarang at Deadshot. He managed to avoid the blast, but still got knocked for a loop. He scrambled to his feet, seeing the Batman as he came rushing in. Deadshot ignited his jet pack, flying high above him and re-joining his Injustice Gang members. Giganta shrunk back down to original size as Superman floated down in front of them next to Batman.

"Gonna have all these women do the fighting for you, Joker?", he asked.

That did it. Joker's smile turned into a scowl as he pulled a pistol from his coat and pointed it at Superman.

"Are you crazy?, Cheetah asked him, then realizing the absurdity of her question.

"Stupid question, Cheetah.", the voice of Wonder Woman said as she flew in and plowed into her, knocking her on the ground. Supergirl, Hawkman and Hawkwoman flew up beside Wonder Woman.

"Well, this isn't good.", Cheetah muttered.

The stare down was initiated. The Justice League was face to face with the Injustice Gang. The tension didn't seem like it was going to let up.

"What are you goons waiting for?", the Joker screamed as Circe took the first shot, blasting Superman, Supergirl and Wonder Woman back. Hawkwoman and Hawkman took to the air as Giganta grew to giant size. Like two flies buzzing about, they flew circles around her as she desperately tried to swat them away.

"Hold still!", she shouted as Superman, Wonder Woman and Supergirl got back to their feet.

"Diana, take Circe. Supergirl, you take Cheetah.", Superman commanded.

"What are you gonna do?", Supergirl asked.

"I've got my target.", he replied as he locked eyes with the Parasite.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a darkened alley on the streets of Bludhaven, Huntress stood by with a smile. She watched as Black Canary took target practice on a few muggers.

"So, how are things with Ollie?", Huntress asked nonchalantly.

"Okay, I guess.", Canary replied as she blocked a shot.

"You guess?"

"Well...", she stalled, not even paying attention. "It could be better.", Canary said as she spun around and knocked the thugs feet out from under him.

Without even blinking, Huntress stuck her foot out to trip a purse snatcher, grabbing the falling bag and stepping out of the alley, throwing it to the victim with a wave.

"I hardly see him anymore.", Canary continued. "He's always on the Watchtower. I doubt he even remembers my name."

"I doubt Ollie even remembers what day of the week it is.", Huntress teased.

Canary replied with a sarcastic chuckle until a strange light in the sky began to pulsate, illuminating the entire atmosphere. People pointed to the odd light as it soared over the city.

"What is that?", a small boy asked his mother.

"I'd like to know myself.", Canary said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wonder Woman's lasso sent Circe on a wild ride, slamming her into the ground. As Diana floated down towards her enemy, Circe grabbed the lasso and sent a magic charge through it, knocking Diana back and sending her through the opposite wall.

After flailing her arms around for who knows how long, Giganta finally managed to connect, knocking Hawkwoman out of her flight. Hawkman spread his wings out, soaring up into a loop and coming back down full throttle at Giganta. Hawkman ducked underneath her huge hand, swung back around and slammed his mace straight into Giganta's back.

Batman hurled another batarang, barely missing Deadshot. A thunderous thud was followed by the Parasite's body flying past them. A woosh of wind signaled Superman's arrival as he crashed into the Parasite again. Deadshot again took the sky with his jet pack, firing down on Batman as he ran for cover.

Seeing Deadshot in the air, Superman charged up his heat vision and unloaded, connecting with his jet pack. The pack exploded, sending Deadshot flying and skidding across the ground. Deadshot got back to his feet, only to see Batman's fist coming straight at him and knocking him right back to the ground.

The Joker stood back and watched, his smile slowly turning into a scowl. He watched as his team didn't seem to stand a chance, slowly stepping out.

"Time to leave.", he said with a grin as he slipped out. Joker rounded the alley, caught off guard as the Parasite's body crashed through the wall and crumpled to a heap. Not missing a beat, Joker took a little hop over him and kept running.

Back inside the warehouse, Hawkman took another swing at Giganta, who ducked and gave him a vicious shot that knocked him away. Hawkwoman flew up, catching him and setting him down, then taking off for her enemy. She looked down to Supergirl, setting down the now unconscious body of Cheetah.

"Supergirl! Double whammy!", Hawkwoman shouted. She gave a nod, then flew up to join her teammate. Giganta looked at her oncoming opponents with a nervous smile.

"Can we talk?", she asked, but it fell on deaf ears as Supergirl and Hawkwoman gave her a two for one deal, sending her to the ground and knocking her out.

Circe shot magic blasts at Wonder Woman as she flew through the air, dodging every single one until one finally hit and sent her to the ground.

"This is getting boring.", she said with a look of glee, turning to face the leaping Batman and stretching both arms out. With the pop of a puffy pink cloud, Batman fell to the ground not as the Dark Knight, but as a--

Chicken?

Circe had indeed turned Batman into a small chicken. Adding to this that he was still in costume, Circe couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the situation. She pointed to Batman's misfortune, giggling with glee until she heard the sound of Supergirl and Superman's tandem arrival, turning to face them with a blast of magic that blew the cousins away. Throwing her hands back, Circe took control of Hawkman, stopping him in his tracks. She looked to Hawkwoman, then turned back to her victim with an evil smile.

"Kill her."

Hawkman complied, crashing his mace into Hawkwoman's.

"Carter! Stop!", she yelled as she was driven back. "Carter! Wake up!"

Circe laughed at her own terrible ends, convinced no one could stand up to her might.

"I don't want to have to do this to you, Carter.", she pleaded, but he wasn't listening. She'd finally had enough, blocking his shot and flying above him. Hawkwoman flew back down, ducking his swing and grabbing his mace. "I warned you.", she said before clocking him in the face. Hawkwoman then turned to Circe, who was still giggling.

"Oh, come on. This isn't that funny, Circe."

"Aww.", Circe said sarcastically. "Is the pretty bird upset?", she asked, the arrogance brewing off of her.

Hawkwoman shot from her stance, coming after Circe who was only grinning. Not even flinching, Circe threw her arm forward, sending a surge through Hawkwoman and knocking her to the ground.

"Sleep.", she said snidely. Satisfied, she turned only to be caught face to face with Doctor Fate.

"Perhaps we are all in need of a nap.", Fate said as he knocked Circe back with a magic bolt. Circe regained herself, letting out a savage warcry as she raised both hands in the air, charging her magic up.

"Leave here, Fate! This doesn't concern you!", Circe screamed as she blasted her magic at him.

He took to the air, circling his arms around and creating a swirl of blinding energy. Fate sent the magic right into Circe, sending her back and to the floor. Fate floated down towards her as Hawkwoman helped Hawkman up.

"What'd I miss?", he asked as he gently caressed his own jaw, feeling the pain.

"Not much.", she replied as Superman, Supergirl and Wonder Woman joined the aftermath. Superman approached Fate.

"You should really know better than to face someone like Circe considering your...", Fate struggled to find the right words. "Less than stellar track record against her kind."

"I'll keep that in mind.", he replied with a smirk. "What about Batman?", Superman pointed to Batman, who was still a chicken.

"His animal form will wear off eventually. Now that Circe is defeated, her curse will soon cease to be."

Supergirl picked up Batman, holding him close and examining him with a playful smile.

"I don't know. I think he's kinda cute like this."

"I don't think he'd appreciate it.", Superman said with a devious smile as he touched his comlink.

"Superman to Watchtower."

The voice of Doctor Light came through.

"Watchtower. Go ahead."

"Transport two up. One of them is going to be a bit unrecognizable."

"Copy. I'm on it."

Supergirl and Batman, or Batchicken, whichever you prefer, dissipated away.

"Okay. Get these guys rounded up and to Stryker's.", Superman commanded.

"Got it.", Hawkwoman complied as she and Hawkman took off to retrieve their fallen opponents.

"In the confusion, I'm afraid one of your enemies managed to give you the slip.", Fate informed him.

"I know. But something tells me he won't get far.", Superman reassured him as he took to the air.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the Joker's van tore down the streets of Gotham, Superman wasn't far behind. He kept himself at a safe distance, making sure not to alert Joker to his presence.

"Come on. Where are you going?", Superman whispered to himself.

Joker finally made a turn, pulling into the now abandoned Wolfman Toys factory. Parking the van inside, Joker emerged and immediately kicked the fan out of frustration.

"What's the problem?", the voice of Maxwell Lord asked as he stepped out from the shadows. "Bad day?", he asked smugly.

Superman listened with his superhearing from the roof across the street.

"If you must know. Yes.", Joker replied, trying to calm himself down.

"Let me guess, your team was unceremoniously decimated by the Justice League?", Lord asked, again flashing that snotty smile.

"It's all about trial and error, Mr. Lord. This was the error part.", Joker explained as he inched towards Lord. "Now, if I can just get me money...", he said as he creepily reached towards the briefcase in his hands.

"No.", he snapped as he pulled it away. "You were given explicit instructions to defeat the Justice League. After that, you would be payed the thirty million and your...dollhouse.", he said with a bit of disgust.

Joker smiled, then paused for a moment. Who knew what twisted thought was circulating through his mind.

"Very well.", he said happily. "Take your money. You're right. I didn't do the job, so I don't get the money. Simple business."

Lord was surprised. The Joker willing to let something go? A miracle if he'd ever seen one.

"Mr. Luthor hopes we can work together again in the future should he ever require any additional services.", Lord said as he walked off.

"Absolutely.", Joker replied, but not before stopping him. "Oh. There's just one more thing, Mr. Lord."

Lord stopped, turning to face him.

"The dollhouse wasn't for me.", he said with a wicked smile.

The gleefully evil face of Harley Quinn emerged from the darkness, whacking Lord in the back of the head with a crowbar. Joker pulled a pistol from his belt as he picked Lord's briefcase.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to fill Mr. Luthor in on your resignation.", Joker said as he pointed the gun directly at him.

"Oh, no.", Superman said as he took off, flying through the factory and taking the gun and crowbar from each respective lunatic.

"Hey!", Joker shouted accusingly.

"That's enough, Joker.", Superman said commandingly as he lifted Joker into the air. "You're working for Lex Luthor?", he asked, his tone the epitome of serious business.

"Forget it, Alf, I'm not--", but that was all Superman would hear, as Joker and Harley both let out a horrifying scream of pain. Superman stood back in confusion as they fell to the ground. Superman sped forward, hoisting all three of them up and darting out with them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the outskirts of Gotham, the source of light made it's final approach as it crash landed, digging itself into the Earth. A whirl of mechanical sounds emitted from the depths as onlookers watched in a stunned silence. As the smoke cleared, a strange figure emerged, shifting up into a large dragon, then back down into a green figure. He stepped from the darkness, watching th sea of faces that greeted him.

"My name is J'onn J'onzz.", he stated proudly.

The crowd was in awe. And who could blame them? They'd just made first contact with the savior of the universe.


	5. Target: Supergirl

**JLA: Freedom And Security**

**Chapter 4:**

**Target: Supergirl**

"Justice League Of America! Our leader has a message for all of you!", the voice of Wonder Woman said. But this Amazon was not the one we were used to. Now outfitted in a black leather variation on her more familiar costume, she stepped aside and pointed to Superman.

Not one to miss out on the party, Superman was also redone in a pair of fancy black leather duds. Superman stretched his gloved hand outward, addressing the super-powered populace in front of him.

"Let all those who stand before me know this; our enemy is real. He walks among us. He is homo sapien.", Superman said as he paced in front of his teammates. "Our strike forces are already in position. The Doom Patrol and Green Lantern Corps have already tracked down the terrorist known as Lex Luthor. His crimes will be dealt with in the only way we can."

The crowd erupted into applause. Superman looked back to Wonder Woman, who gave him a wink as she seductively placed her arms around him.

"And the traitorous acts of our fellow League members will not go unpunished, either.", Superman shouted to his audience as the lifeless body of Batman was wheeled out on a large cross. Superman approached him with a glare, looking over him with disgust.

"Your time has come, human. In our time of triumph, you chose to take the side of the losing team. In the end, what did it get you?", Superman asked him as Batman, bloodied and bruised from his assault, strained to even speak.

"The time has come!", Superman screamed as he turned to his crowd of onlookers once again. "We shall now witness the end of the human era. From this day, no more will we be shunned by them as freaks. Every last one will be hunted down and showed first hand the next step in the evolutionary chain. Let justice prevail!"

The crowd once again roared into applause as Superman turned, charging his heat vision up and blasting it towards Batman. The sound of his screams were quickly washed out by the voice of Hawkwoman.

"Q! Wake up!", she yelled as the Question jolted awake, escaping his horrifying nightmare. The Watchtower cafeteria looked on as Question turned his attention to Hawkwoman. His arms folded on the table in front of him, Question rose to his feet.

"Sleeping on the job, Q?", she asked with a grin. Question looked towards her mace and even with a blank expression, his feelings were obvious.

"What's wrong?", she inquired as he stepped back in fear.

"Nothing.", he snapped. "I've gotta go."

Question took off, exiting the cafeteria as Hawkwoman watched in confusion.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her eyes shot open, examining the area around her like a newborn baby coming into the world. As she splashed around inside of her chamber, our mystery woman saw the images of Lex Luthor and Amanda Waller, two faces that, while familiar, were also a mystery.

"Is she ready?", Lex asked.

"Yes, sir.", the doctor replied as the liquid drained from the chamber.

The glass holding her inside slid down, granting her freedom. She stepped out slowly, a beat for beat copy of Kara.

"Hello.", Lex greeted her. "My name is Lex Luth--"

"Lex Luthor. President Of The United States. Sworn enemy of the wanted super villain Superman and the rest of the Justice League Of America.", she spouted off as if it were second nature. Lex was impressed.

"Very good.", he said with a nod.

"Where am I?", she asked.

"You see,", Lex explained as he put his arm around her, walking her through the rest of the facility. "You were defeated at the hands of Supergirl."

"Why? Why was Supergirl fighting me?"

"It's difficult to say.", Lex replied, nonchalantly slipping into his own lie as he put his hands around her shoulder, leading her through the facility. "But it seems as though you found out something. Something big."

"What?"

"I don't know. Possibly information regarding their duplicity, their plans to take our planet. The day is coming when we won't have chance to defend ourselves. Which is why we need you. Now that we have you on our side, the human race can take there planet back before the Justice League attempts to hurt us. Please.", Lex pleaded with his most insincere smile. "Help us?"

"Just tell me where to find them.", she demanded, falling right into Lex's game.

"Not so fast.", he countered. "You'll have to return to Metropolis first and establish your identity."

"Why?"

"You must keep a low-profile to remain under the eye of the Justice League. I've got you a job at Luthor Corp. Here."

Lex handed her a Luthor Corp ID tag, the name _Karen Starr _stamped across it.

"Karen Starr?"

"Yes. That will be your new name."

"What's wrong with my old one?"

"Karen.", Lex said with a sigh as he again placed his hands on her shoulder. "The Justice League took that name from you."

The girl, Karen Starr now, clenched her fist in anger as the thoughts of what she would do to Supergirl, misguided as they were, racing through her mind.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Superman stood against the wall outside of Dr. Leslie Thompkin's office. The door swung open as Leslie approached him.

"Well?", Superman asked, begging to get the answers he wanted.

"From what I can tell, their nervous systems have collapsed. Whatever happened to them, they've lost most of their brain functions."

"Will they recover?"

"I doubt it.", she replied.

"What about Lord?"

"He'll be fine in a few days." 

"I'll want to speak to him then."

"Of course.", Leslie nodded. "You really don't know what happened to them?"

"I have an idea, but I have to look into it first. Keep me updated."

"I will."

"Good night, Leslie."

Leslie flashed him a smile, then returned to her office.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the crowd of curious Gotham citizens continued to watch in amazement, J'onn J'onzz stepped forward. The green-skinned Martian walked through the crowd of expectedly shocked people.

"I am from Mars. I have not come to harm you. I have only come to help.", J'onn informed them.

"Help for what?", a young woman asked him.

"I sensed your planet was in danger. One of your mightiest heroes once gave everything to protect my planet. The Green Lantern known as Hal Jordan."

Canary looked to Huntress.

"Hal?", she asked, but only got a shrug from her.

"I must speak with Kal-El.", J'onn pleaded.

"I can help you.", Huntress intervened. "I'm Huntress. If you wanna talk to the big guy, I'm your girl."

"You?", J'onn questioned, obviously unsure.

"Yeah. We're buds.", Huntress gave a wink to Canary as she touched her com link, who only smiled. "Huntress to Watchtower."

"Watchtower. Go ahead."

"Three for pick up. We've got a visitor."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Superman hovered above the White House. His thoughts swirled around like a tornado, each thought and decision conflicted as quickly as it was conceived. As if he knew he knew he was there, Superman caught sight of Lex in the front courtyard. Decked out in his white suit, Lex grinned as Superman floated towards him.

"Nice night, isn't it?", Lex asked smugly.

"What are you doing here, Lex? What are you trying to prove?", Superman snapped back at him.

"Prove? I'm not trying to prove anything. All I'm attempting to do is save the world from people like you, Clark."

"Save the world? You call what you've been doing saving the world? There are billions of lives on this planet. If you keep this up, do you have any idea what's going to happen?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. It'll mean I can finally live in a world without super men or giant rodents. A world that doesn't rest all it's weight and problems on the shoulder of people like you."

Lex sighed, taking in the beauty of the night as he walked across the yard.

"How much did The Joker know? Too much?", Superman inquired. "Is that why you pulled the plug on him?"

"You think I had something to do with it?"

"No. I don't think. I know. He was accepting an offer from Maxwell Lord, who just happened to throw your name around. Now, we either have a massive case for conspiracy theorists around the world, or you shut him up because he was saying too much."

Lex didn't say anything, he only continued to walk.

"You're getting sloppy, Lex."

"Sloppy?", he asked with a grin. "I'm the President of the United States and I have the entire, brain dead populace of this country eating out of the palm of my hands."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about your little science project called Project Cadmus."

Lex stopped in his tracks, turning back to face Superman.

"Yeah. It's no secret, Lex. It may be to the public, but the League hasn't been sleeping on the job."

Superman floated down closer to Lex, shredding that boy scout image and getting right in his face.

"Whatever it is you're doing, if you present a threat to this or any other world, the Justice League will be there to stop you.", he finished with a staggering amount of confidence.

Lex didn't respond as Superman floated away, never breaking eye contact with him until his disappeared into the night sky.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the Watchtower, Supergirl grinned with delight next to Batchicken. The Flash stood back with a slowly emerging smile of his own.

"You can laugh if you want, Wally. It's not like he'll be able to do anything about it.", Kara insisted.

"Yeah, but what happens after he changes back to normal?", he asked.

"True.", she said as she picked Batchicken up and held him in front of Wally. "But just look at how cute he is."

"How long before he turns back?", Wally asked of Doctor Fate as he slowly turned away.

"All of Circe's spells have different limits, so I can't be accurate as to when he'll return to normal.", Fate replied as Wally turned back to Supergirl and Batchicken.

"Okay. With my life at stake, I'll say that it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen."

"I know, right?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bludhaven.

11:23 PM.

Nightwing stood on the rooftop, overlooking the city. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"Come on, Star.", he pleaded. "You'd be late to your own funeral."

"Is that how you talk about me when I'm not around?", Starfire asked as Nightwing grinned.

"No.", he turned. "I knew you were there."

She smiled, slowly walking towards him as the night sky continued to creep over them.

"Have you given what I asked you any thought?", he asked.

"Yes.", she replied as she stared off into the sky. "But before I give you my answer, I have to make sure you know what you're doing, what you're committing to. I have to make sure you know how much our life is going to change."

"I've never told anyone this, but when I was six years old, my father took me to a movie called 'Alan Armstrong And The Kingdom Of The God's". It was one of those adventure movies that always had a cliffhanger that kept you waiting until next week. It was playing at this old theater in Keystone City.", he continued on, intriguing Starfire immensely.

"Well, at the end of this particular movie, Alan saved Annabelle and took her to the top of the tallest building in the city.", he continued. "Alan proposed to her and they got married. After that, there weren't any more Alan Armstrong movies. I found out later that they cancelled the movies because the character had finally reached his conclusion. There weren't any more bad guys to beat, weren't any more damsels to rescue, no more monsters to beat, it was over and he got the girl. All it took was one girl to make him quit and lead a normal life. I was mad for years until I finally realized something."

"And what's that?", she asked him as he moved in closer, their eyes locking.

"I realized that when I found my Annabelle, I'd hang up this silly crusade and marry that girl.", he revealed much to Starfire's shock.

"What? You can't quit."

"Yes, I can. I've done this for too long. First it was Robin, now Nightwing. Who am I kidding? I can't go on like this forever. I'll just end up like Bruce."

The whistle of the wind behind them was all that was audible, a comforting partner to the silence between the two. Starfire looked away, covering herself up from the cold night.

"Are you sure?", Starfire asked again as she looked back, only getting that same adorable smile she's been used to for years. She took a deep breath, returning her own gorgeous grin. "Okay. Yes, Dick Grayson, I will marry you."

If it was possible to be happier than the happiest man on Earth, Nightwing had done it, grabbing Starfire in an embrace and a passionate kiss.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karen Starr strolled down the hallways of LuthorCorp, greeted with waves and smiles. An unfamiliar site to her, for sure. Karen fidgeted with the pair of glasses that now rested on her eyes.

"Excuse me, Miss Starr?", a voice asked.

Karen turned, seeing a pretty young secretary.

"You have a message in your office.", she informed her, compounding the confusion even more.

"Okay.", she responded with a bit of uncertainty. "Thank you."

"The name is Grey, by the way. Julie Grey. I'll be your secretary."

Karen stopped for a moment, smiling to herself. Whether it was an order from Lex or not, Karen seemed happy.

"It's a pleasure, Julie.", she said with a smile before turning and beginning to walk off. But she stopped, turning back to Julie. "Where is my office, anyway?"

"You're right over there.", Julie pointed her in the correct direction.

Karen took a glance at the door ahead of her, her new name stamped across it in big, bold letters that immediately commanded authority. Another smile creeped across her face.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And you say Hal Jordan saved your planet?", Superman asked of J'onn on the Watchtower.

"For a time. But it is gone now.", J'onn revealed, his heart sinking. "He only delayed the inevitable."

"Gone? What happened?"

"It was destroyed."

"By who?"

"Men with wings."

Superman gave a look to Wonder Woman, not wanting to think about the possibility.

"These men with wings, what did they look like?", Diana asked.

"They were undoubtedly the hawk people of Thanagar. I would know them anywhere."

Superman's heart sank lower than he thought it ever could, the mere idea of betrayal at the hands of Shayera or Carter enough to destroy him.

"I came to Earth because I fear your planet may be next.", J'onn informed Superman, who was already on the move.

"Where's Shayera and Carter?", Superman asked the Flash.

"They're with GL and Aquaman in Midway."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The seedy back alleys of Hub City was littered with thugs, muggers and any other kind of scum you'd expect. In a classic case of one thing not being like the other, Cody Driscoll walked these mean streets. Though he was trying to look the part, Cody was not exactly in the same league as the hardened men that scowled at him as he nervously turned the corner to an even more dangerous looking run down building.

"Looking for something?", the voice of Jinx asked from the darkness, startling Cody.

"I'm here for the opportunity.", Cody revealed, causing Jinx to smile.

"Good. Your master is waiting. Follow me."

Jinx approached the building ahead, leading Coy with a seductive grin. Cody studied her body, and it was hard not to. Jinx slid the door open, the darkness inside not very comforting.

"Go on.", Jinx motioned for Cody to enter.

"So, if I go in, all of my problems will be solved?", he asked an increasingly annoyed Jinx.

"Yes. Yes. All that crap. No more pain, no more sorrow, just bliss. Blah. Blah. Now, will you get in there?", Jinx nudged Cody in, the door slamming shut behind him.

Cody wandered through the darkness. It surrounded him like a pitch black fog, obscuring his vision.

"Hello?", he shouted. "Is this my opportunity?", he again asked to the nothingness.

"No.", a booming, commanding voice replied.

The lights shot on, blinding Cody. He stepped back, trying to shield himself from the onslaught of light.

"This is your opportunity.", the voice said as Cody finally saw through the light, his eyes clearing to see the entire Titans East line-up. Jinx, Mammoth, Lady Vic, Double Dare and Cheshire stood before him.

"Who are you people?", he inquired.

The source of the mystery voice revealed himself, stepping through the ranks to reveal Deathstroke. Cody's intimidation was immediate, his eyes widening at the very sight of him.

"I am Deathstroke. This is my team, known as Titans East.", he informed him as he inched even closer to Cody. "The only question you have to ask yourself is, do you want to be happy?"

The question echoed throughout the building. Cody looked on as Deathstroke and the rest of Titans East locked their eyes on him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the Watchtower, J'onn looked out into the reaches of space. Wonder Woman stood behind him, trying to say anything that may comfort him.

"You do not need to comfort me. I am fine.", he informed Diana as she couldn't think of thing one to say. "I apologize if my coming here has complicated things for Superman. I meant no discomfort."

"You did nothing wrong.", she insisted. "Don't you even wanna talk about it? Your home?", she asked as she got closer, sharing his view of space. J'onn hesitated, hardly making any eye contact with her. Diana nodded, starting to leave until J'onn stopped her.

"Wait.", he said as Diana turned her attention back to him. "I would appreciate the company."

Diana smiled, then sat down next to J'onn. The two of them leaned against the cold steel of the Watchtower as J'onn searched for the right words.

"Where shall I start?", he asked.

"Well, you said that Hal Jordan saved your planet. What did he do?"

Mars. Six Years Ago.

"My wife had just given birth to our daughter. We were so happy. That is, until they came."

Fire and destruction bathed the red planet. War ships flew across the surface, blasting anything they could. Who would take the life of another without any hesitation? The answer was clear.

The White Martians. Their terrifying screams sent high pitched shockwaves across the planet. J'onn and his family ran for cover, barely avoiding the explosions that rocked their home world.

"Go! Get inside!", J'onn commanded of his family, now in his Martian tongue.

He followed them in, leading the way to a bunker. As the very foundation of their home shook, J'onn took his daughter C'rii and held her close. He looked to his wife M'ryy, taking both of them in one last time.

"Stay here. You'll be safe."

"No, J'onn!", M'ryy demanded as she grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving.

"I have to.", J'onn said, giving his wife one last kiss before taking off.

The war ships continued to rain devastation on the planet. J'onn ran across the fiery land, seeing a squadron of his Martian brothers ahead of him. J'akk took cover behind an explosion, motioning for J'onn to come.

"How many are there?", J'onn asked.

"Too many for us to handle. I had to call in some reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?", J'onn questioned.

In the bunker, M'ryy sat in a heap with her daughter, holding her close. M'ryy heard the screams of the White Martians coming closer, no doubt intending to bring harm it's way.

The door blew open as a platoon of White Martians tore through. M'ryy screamed, but it fell on deaf ears as the insidious creatures inched closer. M'rry quivered in fear, expecting anything but what she heard.

"Easy miss.", the voice of her savior said warmly. The voice of Hal Jordan, otherwise known as the Green Lantern.

Hal charged his ring, blasting the Martians away. He looked to M'rry and C'rii.

"I'm here to help. Someone will come for you.", he reassured before taking off out of the whole the Martians had created.

Hal tore out of the bunker like a bat out of Hell, the green aura surrounding him. The ring lit up a bright green, forming into the shape of a gigantic battering ram. The Green Martians watched in awe as Hal charged forward, slicing his way through the war ships. It was like a musical number, beautifully perfect in it's execution as he flew underneath, over and around the ships. Hal casually avoided the laser fire, forming a huge sword to continue his battle. He then looked down to the Martian squad below.

"Move out! I'll cover you!", he shouted as another war ship came barreling at him. Hal spun around, slicing the sword straight through the ship.

The Green Martians below collided with the White Martians ahead, bodies falling on both sides. Hal laid a wall of destruction down, taking out a platoon of White Martians.

Airborne hovercrafts flew out of the warships, piloted by White Martians. A vicious blast took Hal by surprise, knocking him out of his flight and sending him into the ground.

J'onn's sight was unfocused, constantly turning his head back to the family he loved. Thinking only of the mission, J'onn took a leap forward, ducking under the blade of a White Martian and planting him with a right hand. His next shot wasn't so lucky, as it wasn't his shot at all.

A vicious swipe from the sword of a White Martian knocked J'onn to the ground, blood spilling from his face. He slammed his foot directly onto J'onn's throat, choking the life out of him.

"The weak one dies first.", the Martian said as he raised his blade high.

A surge of green energy blasted him away. Hal rose to his feet, extending his hand to J'onn.

"My family? Are they okay?", J'onn asked worriedly.

"They're fine. I had a friend escort them to Oa. They'll be safe.", Hal reassured him.

J'onn nodded, then turned his attention back to the battle.

"How many do you think are left?", Hal asked of J'akk.

"If I had to guess?", J'akk shot back. "More than we can handle.", he revealed without hope. Hal nodded, eyeing his ring.

"Good. I like the odds.", Hal said with a wink as he turned his attention back to the Martians. "Everyone fall back! I'm going to give them one last blast with my ring!", he commanded.

The Martians followed the order, retreating back. J'onn stayed, approaching Hal.

"Are you sure?", he asked. "We don't know what could happen."

Hal hesitated, unsure himself if it was the wisest idea. "I'm sure. Return to your men. Another Lantern will give you a lift to Oa so you can see your families.", Hal said, but J'onn still wouldn't leave. What did he have to do? Force him to leave? "Now go, I said.", he insisted. J'onn finally complied, taking off to rejoin his men.

Hal turned to the oncoming enemy, a sea of White Martians coming full force. His ring lit up, charging at the highest power it's ever seen.

"In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light!", Hal let loose, the wave of energy colliding with the oncoming Martian force. The shock wave went out for miles, like something ripped from a modern day action film with too much money.

"What happened?", Diana asked.

"I wouldn't leave him, so I told the rest of them I'd meet them at Oa. When I found him, he was in bad shape. His condition was critical. We tried as hard as we could, but he was gone. He died protecting us.", J'onn revealed as Diana stood back in shock, her very reality shattered.

"What? We were told Hal died in a battle with the Manhunters."

"I only know of what I have seen. I am sorry if I have caused any more pain.", J'onn said as he stood up to leave.

"No.", Diana stopped him. "I just...", she hesitated, unable to find anything that could help. "What about your family?", she asked, but J'onn wasn't listening.

"We don't have time. Kara is in trouble."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Supergirl soared through the skies of Metropolis, warmly watching over the city. The citizens watched with delight, applauding and cheering her very appearance. All except for one.

Karen watched from her window, her eyes burning with hate. She clenched her fist, Lex's words running through her mind.

"The Justice League took that name from you."

Supergirl floated down to a group of small children, begging and pleading for an autograph.

"Sign mine, Supergirl!", a young girl asked. 

"Mine too!", yelled another.

"And mine!"

She could only laugh to herself as she was surrounded by the children. That was all Karen could stand, tearing the glasses off and ripping her clothes to reveal the costume underneath. This was no longer Karen Star. It was--

"This looks like a job for Power Girl!", she shouted as she took off, hurtling out of the building.

Supergirl's ear picked up her arrival. She turned away from the children.

"What is that?", she asked quietly, then looked to the children. "Get out of here. There's something--"

But it was too late. Power Girl plowed into Supergirl with a thunderous right hand, causing a massive wave of energy that cracked the very ground around them. Supergirl crashed onto the streets as Power Girl floated towards her, the image of her doppleganger sending a chill through her spine.

"Who are you?", Supergirl asked, but got no response as Power Girl sped forward and grabbed her by the throat.

"I'm your executioner.", she replied coldly before punching her in the gut, then hurling her away. Supergirl looked up, seeing Power Girl already back on her, laying another punch onto her.

She continued the punishment, each shot more vicious than the other. Finally satisfied, Power Girl grabbed Supergirl by the costume and lifted her up. Her eyes lit up a bright red, brimming with heat vision.

"Burn."


	6. Babel

Way too long without an update, but I've finally got back into the groove for writing it. I appreciate the patience. First of all, I have to say that Batchicken's return to his normal state was not my idea. The concept came from my good friend Cori. As I found the idea incredibly hilarious, I opted to go with it, but I give credit where credit is due. And it is indeed due there. On the other side of the coin, we have a chapter that may offend a few people because of the actions that occur during it's climax, but I hope you guys won't be too upset by it. Enjoy the chapter.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**JLA: Freedom And Security**

**Chapter 5:**

**Babel**

Supergirl stared into the eyes of her double, the fire burning within as Power Girl charged her heat vision.

"Hold it!", Wonder Woman shouted as Power Girl turned to face her attacker. Power Girl threw her prey away, focusing on the oncoming Amazon.

"Bring it on, sweetie!", she taunted as, to her shock, Power Girl took Wonder Woman on, even matching her as the two titans collided. With vice-like death grips on each other, the two soared across the streets of Metropolis.

Wonder Woman gave Power Girl a headbutt, then tossed her into the streets. Power Girl plowed through the concrete, falling into the abyss of the subway station below them. J'onn, now morphed into a more traditional superhero-esque costume, floated down to Kara.

"Are you hurt?", he asked as she got to her feet.

"Just my pride.", Kara replied with a smirk.

"Who was that?", Wonder Woman inquired.

"No idea. But she looked just like me."

"I noticed."

The ground below shook, trembling from the force as Power Girl blasted out, taking a chunk of the street with her.

"You cannot match the might of Power Girl!", she screamed, hurling the debris at her enemies. Supergirl tore into the sky, avoiding the onslaught and matching fists with Power Girl.

Supergirl ducked a right hand, spinning around with her own shot and decking Power Girl. She laid shot after shot on her, finally culminating in a final, devastating blow. Power Girl flew back and smashed through an eighteen wheeler semi truck, tearing through the other side and skidding across the street. Power Girl rose to her feet, watching as Supergirl came in for another round.

"No.", Power Girl said as she flung her arm out faster than the eye could see, snapping it around the throat of Supergirl and stopping her cold. "I'm

the only girl of steel around here now."

The green-skinned hands of J'onn wrapped around Power Girl's head, phasing through and disrupting the very functions of her mind. Power Girl lets out a horrifying scream, dropping Supergirl and falling to her knees in agony.

"Thanks.", Supergirl said as she coughed through the pain. "But was that really necessary?"

"Would you have preferred the alternative?", J'onn asked with a grin as Wonder Woman floated down, picking Power Girl up and examining her closer.

"We'll take her back to the Watchtower. Find out who she is."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cody Driscoll was satisfied as he looked in the mirror, a fancy new costume draped across his body. All he could do was smile.

"The name you once had, is no more.", Deathstroke revealed as he stood behind him. "As of this moment, Cody Driscoll is a phantom, a pariah that was washed away during your rebirth as the new member of Titans East. Your name is Risk.", Deathstroke informed him as Cody, Risk now, soaked it all in with pride. He looked back to Deathstroke.

"I'll serve you well, Master.", Risk said, kneeling down in front of his new lord.

"Good. Now is your first chance to prove your faith."

"Of course.", Risk stood up, joined on each side by the rest of Titans East.

"While Mammoth, Double Dare and Cheshire distract the Titans, it will be you, Jinx and Lady Vic breaking into Amertek Labs to get something we need."

"Again? Didn't you guys try that once?", Risk asked.

"Yes. But with the first attempt thwarted, a second will be able to prove your devotion to Titans East."

"I am devoted, Master. For life.", Risk reiterated.

"I'm sure you are, but you can't blame me for a little reassurance, can you?"

"No. I guess not.", Risk conceded.

"Thank you.", Deathstroke said as he turned, pacing in front of his soldiers.

"What are we after?", Risk asked. 

"A very, very fast young man."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Green Lantern's power ring lit up, clearing a view for himself. Lantern looked around the demolished interior of this once standing office building, now just in rubble.

"I don't see any signs of them.", he yelled back as Aquaman, Hawkman and Hawkwoman stumbled through the wreckage. "Boy, this place actually used to be clean."

"I suppose that's what happens when you take on a group of supervillains.", Hawkman said as he lit up his mace in an attempt to get more light. "It's usually not a good plan to take them on in a place like this."

"Tell that to Aquaman.", Lantern retorted, torquing the Atlanean king's jaw.

"As I remember, it was your enemy that led us here. Had it not been for Sinestro, there wouldn't have--", Aquaman railed on until Lantern cut him off.

"Cool it, Arthur. It was only a joke."

"Your surface humor is infuriating.", Aquaman said with a smirk.

"That's not the only thing that's infuriating.", the commanding voice of Superman said as the team looked ahead to see their blue-swathed leader in front of them. "I also find acts of deceit and subterfuge to be equally frustrating."

"What are you talking about?", Lantern asked.

"Carter, Shayera, I need you two to come with me. Kyle, Arthur, you guys finish up here.", Superman informed them as Hawkman and Hawkwoman shot looks of confusion at each other.

"Something wrong, big guy?", Hawkman asked, surprised by Superman's somewhat angry disposition.

"Just something we need to clarify.", Superman replied as he touched his comlink. "Superman to Watchtower. Transport three up."

Superman, Hawkman and Hawkwoman dissipated away as Aquaman and Green Lantern looked to each other.

"What was that about?", Aquaman inquired.

"No clue.", Lantern said. "But it didn't sound very reassuring."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What? Are you kidding me?", Flash asked Doctor Fate. "It still hasn't worn off?"

"I don't understand why. Circe was defeated, so her spell should have been broken hours ago.", Fate said with disappointment.

"Can't you do anything?"

"Circe's magic is of her own breed."

"But you were able to stop her at the warehouse, weren't you?"

"I can only do so much. She has evolved over the centuries and so, it seems, have her spells.", Fate revealed as Flash looked back down at Batchicken.

"I'd try asking Kara, but I know she'd just say no anyway. It's not wrong that I'm laughing, is it?", he inquired.

"It depends on ones point of view.", Fate replied as he opened a magical doorway. "But I certainly wouldn't want to be around when he turns back.", Fate said as he disappeared into the doorway.

Flash took another look at Batchicken, a smile creeping across his face.

"Flash!", Superman shouted from across the room. "Conference room.", he motioned.

Flash nodded, zipping forward and coming to a halt in front of the door.

"What took you so long?", he asked with a smirk.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Bat cave. It had been years since he'd been here. The odor was still familiar to Dick as he walked through it. He approached a set of display cases, each one lined with a costume. One in particular caught his eye, the original Robin costume. Dick placed his hands on the glass, smiling at the memories that swarmed him upon seeing it.

"If we cannot live so as to be happy, let us least live so as to deserve it.", the soothing, calm voice of Alfred Pennyworth said.

A grin stretched across Dick's face as he turned to face Alfred. He dropped his duffle bag and embraced Alfred in a hug. It was a bit of a surprise to him, but one that was able to make him smile.

"There's only one thing.", Dick said as he pulled away. "Why did my security code still work? I thought Bruce would have erased it years ago."

"After you left, I asked him if he wanted it taken out, but he wouldn't let me.", Alfred replied. "I guess he always hoped you'd come back."

Dick turned around, taking the cave in some more.

"Where is he? I need to give him something."

"He's having a bit of...", Alfred paused as he tried to find the appropriate response, but how do you tell someone their friend has been turned into chicken? "...a problem with the Justice League. He probably won't be back for a while."

"Oh.", Dick said with noticeable disappointment.

"Is there something I can do?"

"I just wanted to give him this."

Dick unzipped his duffle bag, pulling the Nightwing costume out and handing it to Alfred. He seemed unphased, wrapping it up and holding it tightly in his arms.

"I had a feeling this was what you'd come to do."

"How?", Dick asked interestedly.

"News of your pending marriage has traveled faster than you may have hoped."

"I see."

"I always knew this day would come. Men can't save the world forever, especially when one has such a beautiful lady waiting in the wings.", Alfred said with a comforting smile. "I hope you are very happy, Master Dick."

"I am, Alfred. I am.", Dick informed him. "But I can only imagine what Bruce is going to say."

"Master Bruce is not the emotionless shell you make him out to be. He may be a bit tightly sealed when it comes to showing affection, but I've never known a man who cared as deeply about those around him as he does.", Alfred finished, only coming to realize an error in his words. "Except, of course, for you."

"I guess so.", Dick said unsure as Alfred put his hands around the young man's shoulders.

"Don't worry, Master Dick. I'm sure your decision is for the best. Only you can choose your fate. It's not for anyone else but you."

Dick took Alfred's words in, giving him a smile.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"All of you have known me long enough to know that I don't jump to conclusions very easily. I always want to get each side of the story before making a judgment.", Superman said as he paced in front his team mates. Hawkman and Hawkwoman stood with a shared look of equal confusion.

"But it has come to my attention that some of you may not be who you say you are. I'm not going to point the treason finger without cause. J'onn has informed us that a race of winged people destroyed Mars.", Superman said, again locking his gaze on the two Thanagarians.

"Shayera, Carter, did the Thanagarians have anything to do with Mars destruction? And if so, were you involved?"

Carter took his hawk helmet off. Shayera did the same as the two shared a quick glance, then turned to Superman.

"Yes.", Carter replied, dropping the bomb right in Superman's lab. "But we were not involved. I am Carter Hall of the Thanagarian police squad.", Carter revealed.

"And I am Shayera Hall of the Thanagarian police squad. We were sent to infiltrate the Justice League of America, find a weak point and then take it down from within. The planet Earth was soon to follow. I'm sorry."

There was nothing. No shock, no anger, not a single emotion. Perhaps it was too much to even put in the form of emotions.

"For a long time, we were set in our mission. In fact, our goal was supposed to be completed six months ago.", Carter continued as he circled the room, barely able to look his friends in the eyes. "But something happened that we didn't expect. We fell in love with this planet, with all of you. We've spent many nights in conflict with our own demons, our own loyalty. We had anticipated you would eventually discover us, but we didn't want it to be this soon. We didn't want you to look at us different, as you no doubt are now."

Carter's final words rang through the room, through the ears of all inside. It was like a wake things were so quiet.

"But we know the procedure, Clark. We know what happens now.", Carter said with a sigh as Superman opened the door, stepping out to lead the two Thanagarians away.

Shayera turned and embraced Diana in a hug, squeezing tighter than she ever had. Diana slowly returned the favor, her eyes welling up with tears.

"I'm sorry.", Shayera said softly.

"It's okay, Shayera.", Diana reassured her. "It's okay."

Shayera turned back to join Carter, taking the long walk down the hallway. Superman turned to Diana, communicating only with their eyes. Diana gave him a nod, and he gave her one back, then followed Shayera and Carter.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lex stalked through the halls of Cadmus, eyeing every door he passed. Who knew what twisted experiment lied behind them?

"Where is she?", Lex asked as Amanda walked up to him.

"The League took her aboard the Watchtower. No way we're going to get her back now."

Lex let out a sigh as he continued down the halls, approaching a door marked "Specimen 33.1".

"And what about this one?", Lex asked as he placed his hand on the scanner.

"She's rough, but getting there. I think she'll do fine, though."

Lex gave her a wicked smile, then walked into the pitch black room.

"Miss Markov?", Lex asked quietly, but got no response back. "Miss Markov?", he asked again. "It's alright, no one here is going to hurt you. Quite the contrary. We want to help you. The Teen Titans and the Justice League are the ones to blame."

"The Teen Titans.", a shaky, timid voice spoke from the shadows.

"Yes. The Teen Titans. It was their fault that you've been in a coma for the last nine months. The incident at the H.I.V.E. facility, your attempts to stop the Titans and their villainous ways. They left you for dead, Miss Markov.", Lex said, again spilling his lies to anyone who would listen. And boy did she listen.

"What do you want me to do?", the voice again asked, rising to her feet.

"I want you to destroy the reputation of the Justice League. They're facade of a self serving team of heroes has gone on far enough."

"How can I do that?", she inquired, stepping out of the shadows to reveal Tara Markov, better known as Terra.

"You must find a way. Do it for your country, Miss Markov.", Lex said as Terra took his words in, examining and dissecting each one.

"I will. The Justice League is mine."

"Good. Oh, but what about the Titans?", Lex asked innocently, reopening the door for his exit. "I wouldn't dream of pressuring you with both of them."

"I do not fear them. I welcome them to come. They are only closer to their end.", Terra said with the fiercest of determination.

"I believe in you, Miss Markov."

"Terra. My name is Terra.", she insisted, clenching her fists in anger.

"Terra. Of course.", Lex said with a wink before exiting.

Amanda could only shake her head, her arms folded and a smirk on her face. Lex took note of it with a devilish grin.

"What's that look for?", he asked.

"How many times are you gonna recycle that same sob story?"

"As many times as I can until someone can get the job done. If they continue to believe it, how bad can it be?"

Amanda sighed, rolling her eyes and turning to leave.

"It's not that it's bad, it's just that you sounded like you had some semblance of a heart this time.", she stung back.

"Now that's just cruel, Amanda."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

All original eight members of the Justice League, save Carter and Shayera, sat at the conference table in thought. Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern and even Batchicken were finding it harder and harder to pass judgment on their friends.

"What do we do?", Lantern asked, not expecting the response he got.

"We take a vote.", Superman replied. "All of us. Anonymous votes, of course."

"What about Bruce?", Flash inquired. "He's not exactly able to grasp a pen."

Superman took a look at Batchicken, who's gleaming innocence could only make him smirk. A far cry from the Dark Knight.

"Alright. All of us except for Bruce."

"Voting sounds like a reasonable solution to me.", Diana concurred. "Let's all take a few minutes and we'll come back."

"Agreed.", Superman said.

The League stood up, making their exits. All except for Superman and Wonder Woman.

"I can't believe this is happening.", Diana said to an equally disturbed Superman.

"I know. It feels like a dream. Like it's not even happening."

"But it is. Two of our most trusted, valuable members have betrayed us."

"Easy, Diana. We don't know the whole story. The Thanagarians are at fault here.", Superman said as he came to defense of his friends. "Not Carter and Shayera."

"But they joined our ranks as spies. They were going to betray us eventually."

"We don't know that.", Superman urged.

Diana let out a frustrated sigh, becoming agitated by her teammate.

"I'll probably catch Hell for this, but this isn't the time to straddle the fence, Clark."

"So I should just give up on them? On my friends?", Superman asked as he brushed past her.

"I don't think they're our friends.", Diana shot back.

"Then is that why you assured Shayera everything was okay? Is that why you built her hope up that maybe she wasn't going to get thrown out of this team?"

For the first time, Diana didn't have an answer. She just stood back, trying to think of anything to say that could smooth things, but she wasn't having much luck.

"Now, we all have to cast our votes. I know how I'm voting and I've got a pretty good idea of what you're going to do.", Superman said. "But let's just hope my fence straddling holds more mercy than your persecution."

Superman swiftly turned away, leaving Diana alone to contemplate. She gently caressed her silver gauntlets, staring at her own reflection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belle Reeve Penitentiary.

Terra stood outside in the pouring rain, letting herself become dripping wet as she overlooked her target. She stalked towards the facility with determination, pushing the doors open and approaching the receptionist.

"Can I help you?", she asked nervously, put off by Terra's somewhat intimidating appearance.

"I'd like to see a patient."

"Okay. Which one?"

"All of them.", Terra replied with a sadistic smile before hurling her hands forward, sending the girl back and crashing into the wall.

Terra effortlessly flung the desk out of her way, making her way into the cells. Security foolishly rushed her, aiming their weapons.

"Hold it!"

"Freeze!"

"You are boring me.", she said arrogantly, flinging her hands in the air.

A wave of energy lit up from underneath them, enveloping the men in a wall of pain. Their screams echoed throughout the halls, cut off only by their quick deaths. Relieved of her enemies, Terra walked through the hallway with her eyes locked tight on every prisoner.

"My name is Terra.", she spoke out to each of them. "Your time in this place has come. All of you owe a debt of gratitude to one man. The one man who was kind enough to grant all of you early releases."

Terra's eyes connected with the Trickster, cowering in the corner. She approached his cell, intrigued.

"Who are you?", she asked seductively, sliding her hand down the bars.

"James.", he said softly.

"Just James? Don't you have a last name?"

"Jesse."

"James Jesse?", she said with a growing smirk. "What's your real name? The one I'm sure these people told you to hide."

James slowly stood up, walking towards Terra. He leaned against the bars, looking into her eyes.

"Promise not to tell?", he asked, his eyes darting around for any eavesdroppers.

"I promise."

James leaned in close, whispering into her ear.

"The Trickster."

"Was that so hard?"

"I guess not.", he replied meekly as Terra turned around to the rest of the inmates.

"Now, how would all of you like to get that parole just a bit early?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The League sat in anticipation. All the votes cast, the decision was made and nothing could stop it.

"Alright. Are we ready?", Superman asked of his team mates.

They all nodded, but were soon distracted by the Flash speaking quietly to Batchicken.

"Flash?", Superman interrupted.

"What?", Flash replied, only then realizing he was speaking to a chicken. "Right. Sorry."

Superman could only grin, reaching down and pulling up the first vote.

"Guilty."

Superman was unphased, even if taking the first hit a bit hard as he pulled out the next vote.

"Guilty.

He was again a bit disappointed, but he soldiered on, pulling out the next vote.

"Not guilty, with a thumbs up drawn on the side."

The entire League locked eyes on the Flash, who smiled nervously.

"What? So I'm a positive guy."

"But they're supposed to be anonymous.", Aquaman insisted.

"Sorry. Again."

The team let out a collective sigh as Superman pulled the next vote out.

"Not guilty."

Superman went in to pull out the last vote, but stopped. He looked at the rest of the team.

"I just wanna say that no matter what decision is made, Carter and Shayera are still our friends. They may have made mistakes, but everyone has."

The League was silent as they took Superman's words in, sharing looks with each other. Superman pulled the last vote out, slowly unfolding it. His demeanor brightened, though he tried to hide it.

"Not guilty."

There was a silence between everyone as the situation began to sink in, the decision was made and the votes were cast. Superman breathed a sigh of relief, but it was cut short by the blaring noise of the Watchtower alarm. Doctor Light's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"This is Doctor Light. Priority situation developing. All members report in."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terra walked down the streets of Gotham, an army of super powered criminals behind her. She was like a drill sergeant leading her troops, all of whom were falling to her every step. The com on her wrist began to beep, forcing her to stop.

"Keep moving! I'll join you momentarily.", Terra commanded as she answered it, the troops moving past her like a well-oiled machine. "What is it?", she asked as Lex spoke through.

"Where are you?", he asked.

"Just entering Hub City." 

"Change of plans. You won't be joining them.", Lex revealed. "Is Metallo with you?"

"Yes."

"Have him lead the strike force. I've got better plans for you."

"What are they?", Terra asked, obviously annoyed.

"You're going to give Metropolis a little surprise."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Superman paced in front of his team mates, assigning positions.

"Aquaman, Doctor Light, Question and Green Arrow, you three spread out to Star City, Coast City and Hub City."

They took their orders, beaming away to their destination.

"Flash, Wonder Woman, J'onn and I will take Metropolis, Gotham and Central City.", Superman entered the coordinates, preparing to beam down until Flash stopped him.

"Woah! Hold on!", he yelled as he sped over to Batchicken and hoisted him underneath his arm. "Almost forgot."

Flash darted back to his position, but was soon taken off guard by a bright light that began to emit from Batchicken. It grew and grew, blasting out and blinding all of them. As the light cleared, Flash found himself holding a now fully grown, returned to normal Batman. The scarlet speedster looked down into Batman's eyes, growing nervous as the Dark Knight began to get angry.

"I don't want to know what happened, I just want to be put down.", Batman said angrily.

"Right."

Flash placed Batman on the ground, his nervous grin growing. Batman stood up, brushing himself off. He took note of the smirking faces of his team mates, trying as hard as he could to ignore it.

"Now, what's the situation?", he asked.

"Terra has been releasing super criminals from three high-maximum security prisons. So far, she's attacked Belle Reeve, Arkham and Stryker's.", Superman informed him.

"Terra was supposed to be dead.", Batman replied.

"Since when has that stopped anybody?", Flash quipped.

"Good point.", Batman quipped back.

"I'm spreading us out, but we're starting to wear thin."

"Then maybe we could lend a hand."

The heroes turned, seeing Shayera and Carter as they put their war helmets back on, their maces charging up. Superman looked to Wonder Woman, who just gave him a nod.

"We'll need all the support we can get. You're with us."

"I'll join you in air support.", Batman said as he took off.

"J'onn, can you locate Terra?", Superman asked.

"I'm afraid not. Her mental shielding is blocking any attempts."

"Then I guess we'll have to do it the old fashioned way.", Wonder Woman proclaimed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Batplane soared out of the Watchtower, hurtling like a bullet towards the Earth. Wonder Woman spoke through the comlink.

"Batman, the last location Terra took down was Stryker's Island, so she's probably somewhere close to Metropolis."

"I'm on it.", Batman replied as he throttled the plane downwards.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lex sat in the oval office, watching a live security recording of LexCorp. Employees bustled through the hallways, unaware of the tragedy that was about to strike. Mercy stood behind him, pouring his coffee.

"Is all this really necessary, Lex?", she asked.

"Of course it is. For anything revolutionary to work, sacrifices have to be made."

"Isn't this more like genocide?", Mercy inquired.

"I don't know the difference."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terra blended into the Metropolis populace, awaiting her prey. Her eyes moved from the streets to the skies, back and forth.

"Come on.", she whispered to herself.

Terra pushed her way through the crowd, finally catching sight of the Batplane above.

"There you are.", she said softly.

Inside the cockpit, Batman took a glimpse out the window to the streets below. To his surprise, the plane took a sharp left and changed it's course.

Terra watched on the streets with a devious smile, maneuvering the plane to her liking. The plane soared between buildings, weaving in and out until it finally locked on it's target; LexCorp Towers.

Batman had no choice, smashing the ejector seat button and springing into the air. He watched helplessly from above as the plane plowed into the tower, sending it up in a massive fireball. The flames shot into the sky as LexCorp crumbled in a heap, the smoke and debris filling the air.

Citizens ran, fleeing for their very lives. Terra stood in the epicenter, allowing them to run past her. She watched as a lone bystander, increasingly proud of her handiwork. Her smile grew, stretching from ear to ear. Her mission was accomplished, she had done her task. She was happy.

A single tear slid down the cheek of a helpless Flash, he watched as the smoke and rubble surrounded him obliviously. He had a lump in his throat the size of Central City, and he could barely contain it.

Superman, Wonder Woman and J'onn joined their team mate, an equal amount of shock and awe coming over them. Their heads went down in sorrow, the unheard screams of the dead echoing through their minds. The wind howled around them as their tears began to flow. For all their superpowers and gifts, they were helpless.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continued in the next exciting chapter, "The Bat And The Arrow"! Featuring the arrival of Captain Marvel, Superboy and Speedy! Plus, the Green Lantern mystery deepens! All that and more in the next dynamite chapter!


	7. Jailbreak

**JLA: Freedom And Security**

**Chapter 6:**

**Jailbreak**

The Watchtower was taken over by mass panic, a seemingly out of control chaos that was riddled with screaming and voices talking over many, many other voices.

"Everyone, please, calm down."

Superman powered his way in, the commanding nature of his voice bringing the room to a low whisper. His team mates stopped their bickering, focusing on their leader.

"Now, as we're all aware, the north LexCorp tower was struck by the Batplane after it was taken over by outside interference."

The team shared looks, no doubt wildly speculating about who or what took over the Batplane.

"Batman, J'onn and the Flash are currently assisting with the evacuation of the south tower. The rest of us will search the remains of the north tower for survivors. Let's move out."

The team broke into their assignments, dissipating away to their duties below. Wonder Woman approached Superman, still in shock.

"Superman," Diana spoke softly, her Amazon toughness beginning to crack. "I need to tell you something."

"Can it wait until after the evacuation?"

"No."

Superman seemed a bit taken back by her answer, but listened anyway.

"I have to leave."

And if that "no" wasn't enough, that was even more of a hit.

"What do you mean?"

"I have to go back home. Back to Themyscira."

Superman searched for any logical reason to her words, but was damned if he could find it. He turned away, not wanting to delve into it any further.

"I won't stop you. It's your decision to make."

Diana had just about had it. She was just sick of Superman's need to stay on the fence and never take a side. Her stance turned defiant, preparing to strike with some of that womanly venom.

"Can't you just be mad for once?" she asked with an agitated tone. "Can't you just once be angry?"

"Why would I be angry? You've made your decision to return home. That's hardly something I see getting upset about."

"You're telling me you're not even the slightest bit upset that I'm abandoning not only the League, but all of those people down there? All of the people that need our help?"

"Yes," Superman confirmed sternly. "That's what I'm telling you."

"I don't believe you."

"Diana," Superman said calmly as he put his arms around her shoulders. "If you need to go back to Themyscira, go back to Themyscira. Believe me, if I could go back to Smallville and just forget all about this, I would. But I can't."

"I'm not forgetting about it, Clark," Diana snapped back. "What I'm saying is they were right. Maxwell Lord was right."

Diana's stinging words pierced even the mighty flesh of the Man of Steel, making Kryptonite look like child's play.

"What?"

"Look at us. Hovering above the Earth like Gods with our space weapon. We're no different than what Lord said."

"No, Diana," Superman countered, getting in close to her. "We're not. We're nothing like what Lord said."

"Look, I'm not going to expect us to agree on this, so why don't we just leave it at that before we both say things we'll regret?"

Superman took a step back, taking her words in. They shared a brief look, the memories of their past battles and experiences together flooding through their minds. Diana's armor had officially been cracked as her eyes began to well up. Superman couldn't bear to see her like this, clenching his fist as he turned away.

"Like I said, I'm not going to try and stop you. You're the only one who can decide."

Diana's tears increased as she became fully aware that Superman really wasn't going to stop her. She slowly turned away, taking her final walk out of the Watchtower. She took a final look at her team mate, the man she had once loved, the man who had fought beside her for years. 

"I'm sorry," Diana whispered softly.

"I forgive you," Superman said to himself.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Citizens watched from afar as thousands of people evacuated the south LexCorp tower, lucky to escape with their lives intact.

"This is Snapper Carr, reporting live from downtown Metropolis," Snapper's somber voice said to the television audience at home. "The evacuation of the south LexCorp tower is still ongoing. We've not been able to get any answers, but it appears as though an outside force took over the Batplane and sent it hurtling into the tower. The Justice League has yet to give any official word, but I'm sure they have more pressing issues to deal with. Again, this is Snapper Carr with the Metropolis News Network."

Superman floated down from above, his heart sinking from all the carnage around him as Batman approached.

"Everybody is out of the south tower," Batman informed his team mate.

"What about the north tower? Any survivors?"

"J'onn did an entire sweep, but couldn't find anybody. They're all dead, Clark."

Speak of the devil, J'onn phased up from the wreckage just in time to prove Batman wrong. Clutched in his arms was the limp body of LexCorp secretary Julie Grey. Superman's spirits lifted, even if just a little bit.

"Perhaps I spoke too soon," J'onn said with a grin.

"Who is she?" Superman asked as he brushed her hair away to see her beautiful face.

"Julie Grey," Batman revealed. "Graduated from Harvard with a degree in political science. Married twice with two children, a boy and a girl."

J'onn and Superman shared a look, amazed by Batman's ability to round of resumes like second nature.

"Do you know her shoe size, too?" Superman inquired with a smirk. "Get her to a hospital, J'onn."

J'onn nodded, then flew off with her.

"Four," Batman muttered.

"What?"

"It's a four," he again said quietly as he walked off.

Superman raised an eyebrow at his persistence.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Daily Planet bustled like a busy bee hive, activity running rampant. pushed through the chaos, a stack of papers in her hand. It was madness.

"Madness? This is the Daily Planet. You've not seen anything yet," Perry barked in his office, his new employee not backing down. Though one had to question whether Perry was trying to scare her away.

"This is madness," Lois said as she pushed her way in, greeted with a signature Perry eye roll. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing. What is it?"

"Here."

Lois handed Perry the papers, a three page spread that covered the LexCorp tower tragedy in only a way she could do it.

"There's only one G in tragedy," Perry said as he put the story on his desk. "But I think the new girl beat you to the punch."

"New girl?" Lois asked, turning to see the admittedly gorgeous blonde behind her.

"Chloe Sullivan."

Chloe had her hand extended, sweating at the chance to even touch her idol.

"Lois Lane," she said as she shook her hand.

"Oh, of course. I mean, everyone knows who Lois Lane is. You're my hero, one of the reasons I came here."

"One?" she asked curiously.

"Well..." Chloe stammered, answering Lois' question.

"Right. Superman?"

Chloe nodded, her innocence and spunk striking Lois. Perhaps she was reminded of herself a bit.

"Sullivan just transferred from Central City," Perry revealed. "I thought you might be able to show her around."

"In this? During the biggest story in years?"

"Well, let her tag along, Lane," Perry insisted as he tried to shamelessly shove them out the door. "Come on, let's go. I got work to do."

The door slammed behind them, a sound Lois was all too familiar with. Her eyes shot to Chloe, who was still beaming with delight.

"Listen, Chloe, if you wanna come along, you've gotta keep up," Lois insisted. "I don't wanna ruin any kind of hero concept you have, but I'm not here to hold anybody's hand."

"Of course," Chloe said as she whipped out her pad and pencil, flashing another big grin at Lois.

Lois could only smile, turning away and walking off.

"Alright. Let's go."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Metallo stood in front of his troops, a curious and scared crowd of Gotham onlookers watching from afar.

"Our benefactor is a powerful man who has given us freedom. He is responsible for all of you standing here and not sitting in your rotting, decrepit cells."

Metallo connected eyes with each and every one of them. Some he was impressed by, others not so much.

"Granted, I hate the man," Metallo said with a rising anger in his voice. "It's his fault that I'm in this state, this false body. But I digress."

Metallo pointed ahead, into the streets of Gotham. His metallic hand was stretched forward, showing his troops their target as they grew with excitement.

"Gotham City. It's home to many, many a tight-wearing lunatic."

Metallo turned to his soldiers, pacing in front of them.

"Nightwing."

The crowd erupted into a sea of boos, hisses and general disdain for the former Boy Wonder and man who had put many of them away.

"Batgirl."

They were again sent into a frenzy at the mention of another Batman family member. Perhaps there were some hard feelings about getting taken down by a girl, but it's hard to tell with psychos.

"Robin," Metallo said as he joined in his army's hatred of Robin, high-fiving Mirror Master and Firefly.

But then Metallo's demeanor changed. His eyes became, if possible, colder as a scowl began to grow across his face.

"And last, but not least. The one guy who has wrecked all of our lives. The one who just can't seem to leave an honest criminal alone. You all know who I'm talking about."

And they certainly did. The crowd hushed, speaking only silently amongst themselves.

"The Bat."

It sent a chill through their spines, even if some of them didn't have any.

"It's thanks to that flying rodent and Superman that a majority of us were locked away to begin with. So, what are we gonna do about it? Are we gonna let them do this forever?"

"NO!"

The crowd was getting behind him now, his words inspiring them.

"Are we going to let them disrupt our very own lives?"

"NO!"

"Are we going to let these freaks continue to keep us down?"

"NO!"

"Then get out there and show it to them!"

The crowd of supervillains exploded into a flurry of war screams, storming the streets of Gotham.

"Not bad," Terra said as she approached him from behind. "You're a natural leader. No wonder Luthor picked you."

"Can it, girlie. I'm only working for Luthor because it helps me."

"Fair enough," Terra shrugged. "I guess somebody has to be the obligatory faux tough guy around here, huh?"

Metallo watched Terra walk into Gotham with a glare.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is ridiculous!"

Kyle stood in front of the Guardians of the Universe, their scowling faces locked firmly on him.

"What this Martian told you was obviously a fabrication to suit his own ends. Hal Jordan's death came at the hands of the Manhunters, not this fairy tale you have told us."

"I came here, leaving my post and all those people on Earth who need me right now, to ask you this," Kyle pleaded. "Superman was willing to support this decision, and now the least you owe me is the truth."

"What we have told you is the truth. Hal Jordan's unfortunate death was at the hands of the Manhu--"

"No!" Kyle interrupted, even surprising himself with his own boldness towards the Guardians. "That's not the truth. I may not have known him for long, but I believe his story. I want to know why you kept it a secret and why you lied about it not only to me, but the entire Lantern Corp."

The Guardians were silent. Whatever secrets they were keeping weren't going to come out that easy.

"Maybe I'm too easy on you guys. Maybe I'll eventually give up on trying to get it out of you, but the rest won't. Do you really think John, Guy or Katma will drop it? They won't."

Kyle turned away from the Guardians, seething at their arrogance.

"Let me know when you guys stop being cowards," Kyle stung at them like a scorpion, not a single ounce of remorse in his words.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The streets of Gotham were overrun with supervillains, sending civilians fleeing for their lives. With no regret, these maniacs lit up the streets with gleeful destruction.

Firefly pointed his rifle skyward, sending a huge blast of flame into the air. He chuckled as innocent people ran in terror, quite pleased with his carnage.

"Why didn't anyone invite me to the super villain butt kicking contest?"

He'd recognize that voice anywhere. It made his blood boil, the mere sound of his teenage voice sending him over the edge.

"You need a special invitation," Firefly said calmly. "Let me give you one!"

Firefly turned, spraying a wall of fire at the agile young Tim Drake, decked out in his Robin costume.

"You're too kind," Robin replied with a smirk as he took a leap off the fire escape he was perched on, landing directly behind Firefly.

He was right on him, though, elbowing Robin to the ground. Firefly turned to his downed prey, locking his rifle right on him.

"Looks like you're out, boy."

A Batarang lodged itself directly into Firefly's rifle, knocking it clean out of his hands. He turned his gaze upwards, catching sight of Cassandra Cain, now as Batgirl, as she delivered a vicious right hand that sent him to the ground.

"Thanks," Robin said as he rose to his feet, turning his attention back to Firefly.

"What's going on here, Firefly?" Robin asked.

"You think I'd tell you?"

Robin thought for a moment, considering Firefly's question and even agreeing.

"No. Probably not. But I know who you would tell."

Robin smirked as he looked up, the terrifying shadow of a bat overcoming Firefly. His grip tightened as Batman stepped out of the shadows.

"You were saying?" Batman asked with a growl.

Firefly scrambled to his feet, backing into the wall behind him.

"I ain't afraid of you, Batman. I ain't afraid."

"Really?" Cassie asked with a smile. "Could've fooled me."

"If you won't tell any of them, maybe you'll tell me," Batman said as he got in close to Firefly, staring him down.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deep in the depths of the Arctic, Superman's beloved hideaway known as the Fortress Of Solitude stood in all it's glory. Within it's cold structure, it was empty. Who could seek solitude at a time like this?

But it wasn't all alone. In the central core, the mainframe of the Fortress began to beep. The intervals became shorter and shorter, building up until there was nothing. All that remained was a low rumble, gradually increasing in volume. An eerie, machine-like voice emitted from the console.

"Eradicator program online. Awaiting commands."

"Thank you," a mysterious voice said from the shadows. Perhaps we weren't as alone as we thought.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Superman soared through the skies of Metropolis, his ears on a constant listen for anything that could lead him to Terra.

"Batman to Superman," Batman's voice chimed in through the comlink.

"This is Superman. Go ahead."

"I think I've figured out what Terra is up to."

"Where are you?" Superman asked.

"Gotham," Batman replied.

"Give me half a minute and I'll be right there."

Superman shot into overdrive, tearing through the sky to meet his team mate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lois' car pulled up to the chaos at LexCorp towers, Chloe saddled in the passenger seat.

"We'll never get through this," Chloe said with desperation as she stuck her head out the window, surveying the destruction.

"Please," Lois retorted. "I've never met one blockade I couldn't pass."

Lois gave her a smile, then exited the car. The police line was, surprisingly, one step ahead of her and stopped her before she could even get close.

"Hold it, Lane," Officer Jurgens intruded, holding Lois back. "I can't let you through."

"Oh, come on, Jurgens," Lois pleaded. "You know I won't cause any trouble."

The officer's eyebrow lifted at her absurd statement, coupled with a sly smirk.

"Alright, so maybe a little."

"Listen, the Chief said not to let you through, so I'm just following her orders. Take it up with her."

"Fine."

Lois' mind began to churn with ideas, shooting a quick glance to Chloe, then back to Jurgens.

"Say, Jurgens," Lois said with an increasingly devious intention as she inched in closer. "You're not married, are you?"

"Even I'm not that crazy."

"Then you have to meet Chloe Sullivan. New girl from Central City."

Lois shoved Chloe into Jurgens eyesight, flashing her a quick wink. Chloe was smart, obviously, as she got the message.

"Hi. Chloe Sullivan," Chloe extended her hand.

"Mark Jurgens," the seemingly love struck officer said as he shook her hand.

"It must be great living in Metropolis," Chloe baited him, motioning for Lois to get on with it. "You get to share the same city with Superman. What's that like?"

Lois made a quick move, flipping the police tape up and circling around Jurgens.

"You know, I've spoken with him a few times," Jurgens bragged, trying his damndest to keep Chloe interested.

"Oh, yeah?" Chloe asked as she continued to sucker the poor sap in.

Lois continued her approach, taking a closer look at the damage that had been brought upon the north LexCorp tower.

"Can I help you, miss?" the voice of Superboy said, floating down towards her.

Lois turned quickly, trying to shush her case of alien interruptus.

"Lois?" Superboy asked as he came to street level. "Come on."

Superboy rushed Lois away, out of sight of law enforcement.

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" she replied as she pointed to the demolished building behind her. "Now, what happened?"

"I don't know," Superboy insisted. "All I know was that Clark called me and asked me if I could cover for his absence here. He said something about the Batplane being taken over by outside forces and a series of jailbreaks initiated by Terra. That's all I know."

Lois thought for a moment, evaluating everything Superboy had just told her.

"Now, come on. You've gotta get out of here before anyone sees you."

Back with Jurgens and Chloe, her feminine charm had locked him in a permanent state of bliss. Lois chimed in, relieving Chloe of her duty.

"Alright, Sullivan, let's go," she barked, pushing Chloe towards the car. "We've got a lot of stuff to do."

"Listen, if you're ever free," Jurgens shouted as Lois continued to push, trying to get away as fast as she could. "Maybe we can have dinner."

But they were gone, speeding away in Lois' car. Superboy stood beside Jurgens, watching them go with a smirk. The two shared a quick glance.

"Women, huh?" Superboy asked as he gave Jurgens a pat on the back.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Superman stood with Batman, Robin and Batgirl in front of Firefly's unconscious body.

"And while all of you were distracted with them, Terra took over the Batplane and crashed it into LexCorp," Batman explained, his information taken straight out of Firefly's mouth. "This has Maxwell Lord and Lex written all over it. All of this is being used to dirty our image."

"A smear campaign," Superman added to Batman's hypothesis of the situation.

"So, what now?" Batgirl questioned.

"We clean this mess up first," Superman replied. "Once we take care of the super villains on the loose, we can concentrate on Lex and Cadmus."

"You're gonna need help with all that, Superman," the voice of Captain Marvel said.

Behind Captain Marvel was the entire Justice Society Of America; Doctor Fate, Black Canary, Huntress, Speedy, Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E. and Supergirl.

"The JSA is here to assist you," Cap said boyishly. "If that's okay, I mean."

"Of course, Captain," Superman said with a smile. "Let's go to work."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Power Girl was clinging to life aboard the Watchtower. Slowly, but surely, her eyes began to slide open. Looking around her unfamiliar surroundings, she floated up from the bed.

"Where am I?" she questioned, softly flying through the strange metallic structure she had found herself in. She came out into the main control center, seeing the pitch blackness of space from the window.

"We brought you here," Wonder Woman said from behind, her packed bags at her feet.

"Why didn't you kill me?" she asked, sill wary of the Amazon's intentions.

"The Justice League does not kill."

Power Girl stared at Wonder Woman for a moment, trying to read her stance, but could only find sadness. She then noticed her bags.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes. I'm going home to Themyscira."

"Why?"

"Because I have to," she replied sternly, set in her decisions obviously. "I can't stay anymore. It just reminds me of everything I've done wrong or failed at."

The two of them stared at each other for what seemed like years. Wonder Woman should have been gone a long time ago. Perhaps she couldn't bear to leave, to abandon everything she has loved here.

"You can stay if you want. I'm sure Superman won't mind. But I have to go. Goodbye."

Wonder Woman turned, leaving the Watchtower behind forever.

"Hey," Power Girl stopped her, approaching her slowly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"The Justice League never left me for dead, did they? That was just a lie, wasn't it?"

Wonder Woman thought for a moment, searching for the right answers, though who the hell knew what the right one was.

"If we had, would we have brought you here and kept you alive?"

Power Girl nodded, hearing exactly the answer she was expecting.

"Take care of yourself," Wonder Woman said as she turned to leave, wiping the tears from her face.

Power Girl watched her go, all the while wishing she wasn't. Whether her actions constituted abandonment or not, she was still a hero to her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the deep reaches of space, a Thanagarian cruiser quietly burrowed towards it's destination. Aboard, Fel Andar stood at the front of the command center. He watched with an evil smile on his face.

"Sir," a Thanagarian officer said from behind. "Transmission coming in."

"Put it through," Fel replied as the ghastly image of a White Martian appeared on screen.

"What is your progress?" the creature asked.

"We are making good time. If all goes according to schedule, we will rendezvous with you on Earth in approximately three days."

"Very well."

The transmission ended as Fel turned back to his sight seeing, feeling right at home in the cold, empty void of space. His insidious smile grew bigger.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't miss the next explosive chapter! Wonder Woman travels back to Themyscira and the return of The Eradicator! Plus, Lex continues his smear campaign against the League!


End file.
